Elizabeth Banks talks 'What to Expect When You're Expecting'
EW What can we expect from What to Expect When You're Expecting?
Banks The short-form answer is a baby. At the end of the movie everybody gets a baby.
EW So no surprise third-act, third-trimester twists?
Banks I wish it went sci-fi. It would be so cool if I got a unicorn instead of a baby. But no, this is about regular human beings. If you count Cameron Diaz as a regular human being. I mean, if you've seen those abs…
EW Who is your character?
Banks I play a very relatable lady-gal, a small-business owner who's been dealing with infertility.
EW You yourself have experienced similar troubles.
Banks I like how you refer to it as "troubles."
EW That does make it sound like it's the Irish nationalist conflict or something, doesn't it?
Banks [Laughs] I was familiar with infertility, as I think many women my age are, so I went into it with a good understanding of this character and what she'd been through. [Last March, Banks and her husband, Max Handelman, welcomed their son, Felix, who was born via surrogate.] I really related to the idea that pregnancy is not the be-all, end-all: At the end of the day it's really about those mini human beings.
EW Which of these self-help books do you think would also make a good movie: Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, or Sudoku for Dummies?
Banks I want you to know I have actually read all three of these books, so you couldn't have asked a better person that question. I think dummies are always funny, especially when they're trying to do math. Cast Zach Galifianakis in that and I'd watch it.
