Elizabeth Banks is still not sure why so many women didn’t vote for former Vice President Kamala Harris in her 2024 presidential run against President Donald Trump — especially after Banks’ Hunger Games character highlighted the downsides of fascism.
“Effie is the model, guys,” Banks, 52, said during the Tuesday, April 14, episode of Bustle’s “One Nightstand” podcast, referring to her movie character, who was pro-fascism before ultimately revolting against the fictional totalitarian regime.
Banks got animated, confessing, “I don’t understand the 53 percent of white ladies that didn’t vote for Kamala. What were you thinking?”
The actress noted that she was hopeful that Effie Trinket’s evolution in the Hunger Games franchise, from a fascist supporter and mouthpiece for the rich and powerful to an ally for the underprivileged, would resonate with the American public before Trump, 79, beat Harris, 61, in 2024 and began his second presidency.
“Effie for me is one of the characters that has the greatest arc that I’ve ever played because obviously she props up this fascist regime that she benefits from,” Banks told listeners. “It’s not until she really comes to care for and see how unfair it is when they want to pull Katniss and Peta into the games again. [She realizes] that’s not the deal here. It’s not supposed to be like this.”
She noted that Effie’s biggest switch comes during Catching Fire, when she decides, “‘I want to be part of this team,’ and you really see her struggling and then by the end she’s like a revolutionary. She gets turned by the events of it.”
Banks admitted, “I wish more of us were becoming revolutionaries!” hinting at her disappointment in the women who voted for Trump over Harris.
White House press office spokesperson Davis R. Ingle told Us Weekly in a statement on Thursday, April 16, “Nobody in their right mind cares what out-of-touch, woke celebrities in Hollywood say or think.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Banks’ representatives for comment.
Although Banks is a fan of the flawed Effie through all her highs and lows, she has not wavered in her support of the democratic party over the years.
Ahead of Harris’ loss in 2024, Banks attended her Reproductive Freedom Bus in Las Vegas and advocated for abortion access.
When former first lady Hillary Clinton ran for president as the Democratic Party’s candidate in 2016 — which she lost to Trump ahead of his first time in the Oval Office — Banks was a fierce supporter.
Banks even used her Hunger Games character to get the crowd going at the Democratic National Convention.
“Some of you know me from The Hunger Games, in which I play a cruel, out-of-touch reality TV star who wears insane wigs while delivering long-winded speeches to a violent dystopia,” Banks told the crowd.
She joked that after watching Trump’s acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention, she thought, “Hey, that’s my act!” poking fun at Trump’s past as a reality star.
