Elizabeth Banks Explains How '90s Throwback 'The Beanie Bubble' Mirrors Today's Gender Power Dynamics

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PLUS: Zach Galifianakis says his role allowed him to "show a muscle" he hasn't shown on-screen before.

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00:00 I'm so excited today to be joined by Zach Galifianakis and Elizabeth Banks,

00:04 who star in The Beanie Bubble, which premieres in select theaters July 21st

00:08 and streams globally July 28th on Apple TV+.

00:12 Ty would tell you he did it all, which is as crazy as believing stuffed animals are gold.

00:17 Now I'm going to ask you both five questions. For question number one,

00:20 you'll give me one answer. And question number two,

00:21 you'll give me two answers and so on and so forth. Are y'all ready to get started?

00:25 Yes. Okay.

00:26 I feel like even if you had no idea what a Beanie Baby was, the concept of this story is so,

00:31 so interesting. So can you name one reason you were drawn to this film?

00:35 I loved the character of Robbie. I thought she was so inspirational. Just a woman who

00:42 carved out this life, rags to riches story, overcoming this guy in her life who she trusted

00:49 and who betrayed her trust and really would have left her with nothing.

00:54 You try to find characters that are layered and interesting or not as comedic. This was a

01:01 comedic role, but I think I also had to show this other darker side to a goofy personality. And that

01:08 attracted me to be able to show maybe a muscle that I haven't been able to show in the past.

01:15 Do you have any memories that stick out to you in the 90s during The Beanie Baby craze?

01:19 I certainly knew of it out there. It was definitely in the makeup of the culture,

01:24 but I was mostly just wearing Laura Ashley dresses back then. Do you remember Laura Ashley?

01:29 You made me way too young. I'm old, so my references don't make any sense.

01:34 I remember my brother having them and I certainly knew about Beanie Babies, of course.

01:40 I don't speculate with my hard-earned money. It's just not my nature.

01:46 Both of your characters rock such specific looks throughout this movie. Are there two

01:51 items from your character's look you would incorporate into your everyday wardrobe?

01:55 Shoulder pads. Come on. They make your waist look smaller and they feel powerful,

02:01 and I feel powerful in them.

02:02 No, I can answer that right off the... I'm never going to walk around with a cane

02:07 or a pink three-piece. I mean, this is about as dolled up as I can get.

02:11 All right, Elizabeth, let's play a little game. Marry, Shag, or Kill. Acting,

02:15 producing, or directing?

02:17 Acting, I would marry. Producing, I would kill. And directing, I would shag.

02:24 Shag directing, huh?

02:26 I mean, you got to f*** with that.

02:27 Your characters are so complex and complicated. Name three interesting dynamics of your character

02:35 in this movie.

02:36 Navigating a man's world, navigating big personalities. Honestly, a lot of my research

02:41 was about the psychological notions of gender power dynamics. I think it's really interesting

02:47 that Ty, you know, he didn't partner with men. He was threatened by other men. He was not

02:52 threatened by women. And I think that's a sort of a power dynamic that sort of sits in our society

02:58 and allows men to take advantage of women all the time.

03:01 Well, he, like most of us, he's got some layers and complications to him. I had made up my mind

03:08 that he needed to be somewhat charming to allure people to come get behind his vision.

03:15 That alluring was probably done through his wardrobe, his quirky, weird personality.

03:20 I don't know. I would even feel comfortable in an elevator with that kind of personality.

03:25 If you had Ty on Between Two Ferns, how long do you think he'd last?

03:29 God, that's a good idea to have him on.

03:31 I actually think he probably has an interesting,

03:34 funny sense of humor. I would imagine he's probably funny.

03:39 Now, we all love the Beanie Babies, but I'm curious to know,

03:42 what are four things you collected in the 90s?

03:45 I was a struggling actress living in New York in a tiny apartment. So I mostly owned clothes.

03:50 That's what I owned. And makeup and hair products, shoes. That's what I own. Come on.

03:56 That's what a woman in her 20s, you know, is collecting.

04:01 I read that the film had to make Beanie Babies from scratch.

04:04 What character would you create into a Beanie Baby if you could?

04:07 It'd have to be Ty, even though my version of Ty is much more snuggly than the real Ty.

04:13 I have a little extra stuffing, if you know what I mean.

04:18 And I'm talking about my fatness. Nothing. That's not a sexual...

04:21 And finally, can you give us five reasons everyone should go see The Beanie Bubble?

04:30 It's a really kind of fun look at a past craze.

04:34 It's just a fun, wild ride about a time in history.

04:37 I think this is just a really interesting story.

04:39 Really, it's about the little guy overcoming.

04:41 I think it is also a canary in a coal mine for where we are now.

04:45 Have you considered poisoning him? Countless times.

04:49 Thank you both for joining me today. Now, everyone, be sure to check out The Beanie

04:53 Bubble, which premieres in select theaters on July 21st and streams globally July 28th on Apple TV+.

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