Kristen Stewart isn’t mincing words when it comes to her thoughts on 2019’s “Charlie’s Angels,” written and directed by Elizabeth Banks. The “Chronology of Water” director and “Love Lies Bleeding” actress revealed, while playing Variety‘s game of “Know Your Lines” during a recent interview, that she “hated” making the 2019 franchise action-comedy reboot.
The line in question was, “Did you know that it takes men an additional seven seconds to perceive a woman as a threat compared to a man?” Stewart responded, “This was a mouthful at the time. I remember saying that. That was from a little film called ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ We wanted a strong opener, you know? We wanted to really like broadcast what the movie was about. It was a good idea at the time.”
She continued, “I hated making that movie. I don’t know what else to say to you.”
Stewart then pointed to the original 2000 film starring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, and Drew Barrymore. “Charlie’s Angels” was adapted into a feature after the ’70s TV series, with McG helming both the 2000 and 2003 films.
“Honestly, the three … you can’t touch [that]. Cameron, Lucy and Drew … I love that movie. I love that movie! If that says anything,” Stewart said.
Along with Stewart, “Charlie’s Angels” also starred Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska as the core trio, with writer/director/producer Banks, Patrick Stewart, and Noah Centineo also appearing.
Banks’ “Charlie’s Angels” came under fire after becoming a box office flop. Banks spoke out about being “confined” to female-led action films in a 2022 interview with The New York Times, leading to a “disconnect on the marketing side.”
“I wish that the movie had not been presented as just for girls, because I didn’t make it just for girls. There was a disconnect on the marketing side of it for me,” Banks said at the time. “Let me say I’m proud of the movie. I loved Kristen Stewart being funny and light. I loved introducing Ella Balinska to the world. I loved working with Patrick Stewart. It was an incredible experience. It was very stressful, partly because when women do things in Hollywood it becomes this story. There was a story around ‘Charlie’s Angels’ that I was creating some feminist manifesto. I was just making an action movie.”
Banks previously said that if “Charlie’s Angels” didn’t recoup its budget at the box office, it “reinforces a stereotype in Hollywood that men don’t go see women do action movies” outside of male-dominated IPs like Marvel and DC. She later added that “there was not this gendered agenda” about the film being a “feminist manifesto.”
