Elizabeth Banks has apologized for her criticism of director Steven Spielberg, saying he’s never made a film with a female protagonist despite having directed the iconic film “The Color Purple.”
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At the Tuesday ceremony she mentioned, Banks said the famed director had “never made a movie with a female lead.” The remark instantly prompted criticism as Spielberg helmed “The Color Purple,” which was led by Whoopi Goldberg in an ensemble cast of African American women.
“When I made the comments I was thinking of recent films Steven directed, it was not my intention to dismiss the import [sic] of the iconic #TheColorPurple,” she continued.
Banks was corrected for the omission on the spot, by actress and photographer Shari Belafonte — daughter of the iconic singer and actor Harry Belafonte.
“I made things worse by giving the impression that I was dismissing Shari Belafonte when she attempted to correct me. I spoke with Shari backstage and she was kind enough to forgive,” Banks said.
“Those who have the privilege and honor of directing and producing films should be held to account for our mistakes, whether it’s about diversity or inaccurate statements. I’m very sorry,” she concluded.
Aside from the technical error, Banks was slammed for contributing to an overall culture of white feminism — where white women who do not account women of color in their numbers when discussing inequality.
“The color purple doesn’t count? All women aren’t white,” wrote Zerilna Maxwell, Director of Progressive Programming for SiriusXM.
Read Banks’ full apology:
“I Messed up. When referring to Steven Spielberg at the Women in Film Awards ,I framed my comments about his films inaccurately. I want to be clear from the start I take full responsibility for what I said and I’m sorry. When I made the comments I was thinking of recent films Steven directed, it was not my intention to dismiss the import of the iconic #TheColorPurple. I made things worse by giving the impression that I was dismissing Shari Belafonte when she attempted to correct me. I spoke with Shari backstage and she was kind enough to forgive. Those who have the privilege and honor of directing and producing films should be held to account for our mistakes, whether it’s about diversity or inaccurate statements. I’m very sorry.”