Do You Know What Elizabeth Banks Biggest Fear Is?

Elizabeth Banks at movie premiere

Actress Elizabeth Banks has been working in the entertainment industry for well over a decade.  The 40 year-old Massachusetts native made her on-screen debut in the independent film Surrender Dorothy which was released in 1998.  Although the film was not successful, and Banks considers the role a mistake, it helped her decide to go drama school which would shape the course of the rest of her career.  Banks now has a very impressive resume that includes a starring role in the popular Hunger Games film series.  In the films, Banks’ character, Effie Trinket, is the person who draws names to decide which people from each distract will compete in the games.  For her role as Trinket, Banks earned the MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen transformation in 2012.  Along with her appearance in the Hunger Games, Banks has also earned big roles in films such as W and Spider-man 3.

Although Banks is a proud mother of two her career seems to be gaining more and more traction each day.  In 2014 alone, Banks appeared in six films and made a few television appearances including a recurring role on the popular sitcom, Modern Family.  Banks fans everywhere seem to be drawn to her diverse acting abilities and her nonstop work ethic and she is currently one of Hollywood’s most talked about celebrities.  Here are five facts you never knew about Elizabeth Banks.

5. Elizabeth Banks is a first generation college graduate.

Elizabeth Banks was the first person in her family to earn a college degree.  She attended the prestigious University of Pennsylvania where she met her future husband, Max Handelman. While in college, Banks was a member Delta Delta Delta, a sorority which was founded in her home state of Massachusetts. Banks graduated magna cum laude from UPenn in 1996.  After completing her undergraduate degree, Banks went on to earn an MFA at the American Conservatory Theater in San Franciso, California.  Although Banks initially had another career path in mind, she eventually caught the acting bug and during an interview she explained why she chose to act after college, stating: “I thought I was going to be Diane Sawyer, to go into broadcast journalism. I didn’t know any actors who supported themselves—they all lived in the East Village in apartments with 12 other people who were all waiters! That wasn’t the life I wanted for myself. But I’m grateful I stuck with it.”

4. Elizabeth Banks is known for having gorgeous feet.

According to Wikifeet, a database for the world’s most famous feet, Elizabeth Banks has gorgeous feet.  The website contains hundreds of images of Banks’ feet which have been submitted by her adoring fans. In the 2014 film, Walk of Shame, which focused on Banks’ character, Meghan Miles, as she endured a day long “walk of shame,” Banks’ feet were able to spend some time in the spotlight.  Although Banks’ feet took a beating during the film as she ran across Los Angeles in high heels, fans have continued to stick by her pretty pair of feet.

3. Elizabeth Banks’ sons were born using a surrogate.

In 2012, after the birth of her second son, Banks spoke openly about her choice to use a surrogate to carry her children.  Banks revealed that she and her husband opted to use a surrogate after Banks was unable to carry a child.  Banks stated that once her “focus became the baby and not the pregnancy, it was a very easy decision.”  Banks admitted that although it was difficult to invite another person to share one of the most intimate moment of her life, she has managed to form a lasting bond with the surrogate who carried both of her children.  During an interview Banks said, “our surrogate is so extraordinary, and she’s still in our lives. She’s like an auntie.” Ironically, before having her children, Banks was the executive producer of the 2009 film Surrogates starring Bruce Willis; however, the film had nothing to do with surrogate pregnancies.

2. Elizabeth Banks is also a successful producer.

Although Elizabeth Banks is best known for her acting, she has also done some work as a producer.  Most notably, Banks, along with her husband Max Handelman, produced the popular 2012 film, Pitch Perfect.  The film, which was based on the book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory by Mickey Rapkin, follows an all-female a capella singing group as they compete to win college nationals.  Pitch Perfect received positive reviews from critics and earned more than $113 million at the box office, making it the second highest grossing comedy music film. Banks also made an appearance in the film as a commentator at the competition.

1. Elizabeth Banks’ biggest fear is being wrongly convicted of a crime she didn’t committed.

During an interview discussing her 2012 film, Man on a Ledge, Banks mentioned that she had recently read an article in which a woman who was presumed missing had actually been accidental deported and was found in a prison in South America.  She then went on to share her biggest fear stating: ” Everyone usually asks me if I am afraid of heights, but I am truly afraid of being wrongly imprisoned. I find that if you ever do jury duty, you should not trust the system. I have an irrational fear of the police plucking me out of my home and sending me into jail telling me that someone fingered me out of a lineup or something, I don’t know; I become a scapegoat in an accident.”

 (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

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