Elizabeth Banks is looking back at the Capitol—and she has some thoughts about the current state of the “district.”
During a Tuesday appearance on Bustle’s One Nightstand podcast, the Miniature Wife star got candid about the election results, specifically pointing to the statistics regarding white women voters.
Banks, , didn’t hold back when discussing the data reported by CNN and NBC News, which found that percent of white women voted for President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I wish more of us were becoming revolutionaries!” Banks exclaimed during the episode. “Effie is the model, guys! I don’t understand the percent of white ladies that didn’t vote for Kamala.”
The Emmy nominee is, of course, referring to her iconic Hunger Games character, Effie Trinket. Known for her pink wigs and “May the odds be ever in your favor” catchphrase, Effie started the franchise as a bubbly stooge for the oppressive Capitol before joining the rebellion.
Banks noted that Effie has one of the “greatest arcs” she has ever portrayed because the character eventually stops benefiting from a system she realizes is broken.
“Obviously she props up this fascist regime that she benefits from,” Banks explained. “And it’s not until she really comes to care for and see how unfair it is when they want to pull Katniss and Peeta into the games again.”
Recalling the events of Catching Fire, Banks described the moment Effie realized the “deal” had changed when Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) were forced back into the arena for the Quarter Quell.
“She’s like, ‘Wait a minute, hold on,’” Banks said of Effie’s awakening. “By the end she’s like a revolutionary. She gets turned by the events.”
This isn’t the first time the actress has used the dystopian world of Panem to make a political point. Back at the Democratic National Convention, Banks famously compared then-candidate Donald Trump to her over-the-top character.
“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,” she told the crowd at the time. “So when I tuned in to Cleveland last week I was like, ‘Hey, that’s my act!'”
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) were quick to weigh in on Banks’ latest comments, with many “tributes” applauding her for using her platform to speak up. “She really said ‘Effie Trinket said rights!'” one user joked, while others debated the comparison between movie subtext and modern polling.
The timing of Banks’ reflection comes as The Hunger Games universe prepares for a major return. A new prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, is set to hit theaters on Nov. .
While the new film will focus on a young Haymitch Abernathy (played by Joseph Zada), a new actress will be stepping into Effie’s high heels. Elle Fanning is set to take over the role of the younger Effie Trinket, originally made famous by Banks.
Whether on the big screen or the podcast mic, it seems Banks is determined to keep the revolutionary spirit of District alive.
