Sigourney Weaver and Elizabeth Banks Talk Phyllis Nagy's 'Call Jane'
Moviefone speaks with Sigourney Weaver and Elizabeth Banks about director Phyllis Nagy's ‘Call Jane.’ "I loved making the movie," said Banks.
Opening in theaters on October 28th is the new drama ‘Call Jane’ from acclaimed filmmaker writer and director Phyllis Nagy ('Carol').
The new film stars Elizabeth Banks as Joy, a 1960s housewife who learns that her second pregnancy is threatening her life. She soon meets Virginia (Sigourney Weaver), a member of the Janes, an underground network of women who take risks to provide abortions to pregnant women.
In addition to Banks and Weaver, the cast also includes Wunmi Mosaku, Chris Messina, Kate Mara, and Corey Michael Smith.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sigourney Weaver and Elizabeth Banks about their work on ‘Call Jane,’ the timeliness of the story, the Janes, Bank’s character and why she makes her choice.
(L to R) Sigourney Weaver and Elizabeth Banks star in Roadside Attractions' 'Call Jane.'
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Weaver, Banks, Wunmi Mosaku, and director Phyllis Nagy.
Moviefone: To begin with, Sigourney, did you imagine when you were making this movie that it would be as timely and relevant as it is being released now?
Sigourney Weaver: I thought we'd have a national conversation about it, which is great. But I didn't imagine the Supreme Court could just overturn a constitutional right that's been there for 50 years and dramatically changed women's lives, allowing us to have careers, choose how many children to have, and all these other basic rights that stem from this.
So, what I feel now is, when I watch the movie and see these women working together to help other women, I realize that instead of looking back, we should look forward and say, “All right, we've got to get together and vote, and support health clinics for women around the country.” But we have to beat this. We have to forge our way back to our constitutional rights.
(L to R) Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver in Roadside Attractions' 'Call Jane.'
MF: Elizabeth, can you talk about how meeting the Janes change Joy’s life?
Elizabeth Banks: Meeting the Janes is the beginning of a political awakening for my character. I think she's someone who never thought she would need to seek abortion healthcare, and she was pretty judgmental of people who did. I think that's pretty relatable for a lot of people. But her empathy was really opened up by meeting the Janes.
I think if I had a message for anybody watching the movie, it would to be that we could use a lot more care and a lot more empathy when it comes to people who may walk a path that we will never walk. I loved making the movie, and I remind people all the time, the majority of Americans don't find abortion healthcare to be particularly controversial. It is something that the majority of Americans want to remain safe and legal, and we just need to get back to that.
MF: Finally, can you talk about Joy’s decision and why she has no other choice but to make it?
EB: I think that one of the messages of the movie is that people who seek abortion healthcare, that the choice, that is their choice. There is no other choice for them for various reasons. By the way, nobody owes anybody their reason.
That's another thing that I think the movie really tries to hammer home, that the constitutional right to private decisions about the direction of one's life is in our constitution. I believe it's under “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” and the idea that a vocal minority has been able to orchestrate the taking of that right from millions and half of Americans is something that we as a collective can get together and fight against.
Elizabeth Banks in Roadside Attractions' 'Call Jane.'
