Biografia

Graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania (1996), where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority and was elected to the Friars Senior Society. She was the first in her family to graduate from college.

In a 2012 interview with Slate, she said that she considered her role in the independent movie Surrender Dorothy (1998) to be one of the worst mistakes in her career, so far. She also said that it was instrumental in her decision to attend drama school, so that she could receive training that would enable her never to have to be in this type of movie again.

One of only three women to have won the Razzie Award for Worst Director. (The other two being Elaine May for Ishtar (1987) and Jennifer Lynch for Encaixotando Helena (1993).) Banks was actually one of several directors cited for Para Maiores (2013).

Her stage name, Banks, was made up (it's not in her family tree) as there was already another actress named Elizabeth Mitchell in the Screen Actors Guild. She chose it because it fits her image.

Became a mother for the second time at age 38, when her son, Magnus Mitchell Handelman, was born in November 2012, via surrogate. Child's father is her husband, Max Handelman.

I really think that we do a disservice to young people in America by not being more open about sex. Abstinence programs do not work. It's a natural, physical thing having sex.

I'm pleased that Hollywood hasn't figured out how to pigeonhole me yet...

I love physical comedy. I love Oscar Wilde, I love [William Shakespeare] comedies, I love improv. I knew I had a knack for it at a certain level, but I came into this business as a classically trained drama student and that was my reputation. When you live in a leading lady's body, which I do, you have to constantly prove that you are funny.

Every once in a while I play a true idiot, and they're really fun to play.

[in 2013, on going through the process of converting to her husband's religion, Judaism] I did not have my mikveh, so technically I'm not converted . . . I've been essentially a Jew for like 15 years . . . I haven't had a Christmas tree in 15 years . . . My kids go to Jewish pre-school, we only celebrate Jewish holidays, I love seder . . . Frankly, because I'm already doing everything [in terms of the religion], I feel like I'm as Jewish as I'm ever going to be.