Elizabeth Banks: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
1. Melinda Ledbetter Love And Mercy
While Banks is best known understandly for her comedic turns she proved she had serious dramatic chops too, with her role as Melinda Ledbetter in Love And Mercy. The film is a biopic about musician Brian Wilson, as he battles with mental health and dealing with a life where a manipulative psychiatrist controls his every move. Wilson meets Ledbetter - who would become his second wife - during his darkest period, where she helps nurse him back to health, as well as sever ties with the doctor ruining his life. Banks is fantastic in the part, giving Melinda a real strength while her love story with Wilson evolves. Portraying a real life character can be a tricky thing for an actor; it theyre too close to the source theyre accused of doing an impression, or if they stray too far theyre being disrespectful. Banks manages to overcome that balancing act with her natural turn as the only person genuinely trying to help Wilson, without trying to gain anything in return. The real life Ledbetter had very positive words for her performance, so she obviously did something right.
