Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#202
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Elizabeth Banks represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 26 years in, and Elizabeth is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Elizabeth Banks appears in 43 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Elizabeth. Catch Me If You Can is the clearest case: a film rated 8.2 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for mystery, horror, thriller. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Alex Prager, David Wain, Austin Peters and others, Elizabeth Banks helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Catch Me If You Can (2002) as Lucy · Spider-Man (2002) as Miss Brant · Spider-Man 2 (2004) as Miss Brant
Career snapshot
Ranked #202 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
43
2000–2026
Career length
26 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.2
Catch Me If You Can
Average Nutevio score
6.3
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.0
Catch Me If You Can
Most frequent director
David Wain
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With David Wain
Most common genre
Comedy
24 titles
Average runtime
1h 50m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.9
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.4
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2000s
6.6 average MV
The 2000s are where the work and the material meet. Meet Dave, Role Models, Definitely, Maybe — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2000s
6.6
Across 16 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2000s
6.5
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
2000s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Meet Dave, Role Models, Definitely, Maybe.
Most productive era
2010s
20 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.95 films | 6.46 films | 6.34 films |
| Action | 7.04 films | 6.77 films | — |
| Thriller | 6.01 film | 6.84 films | 4.13 films |
| Comedy | 6.18 films | 6.212 films | 6.34 films |
| Crime | 7.12 films | 6.33 films | — |
| Romance | 6.04 films | 6.52 films | — |
| Horror | 6.51 film | — | 0.01 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
2000Shaft
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Trey's Friend.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
8.2 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2026Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
The current state of the argument, as Elizabeth Banks.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
43 of 43 films
as Wyldstyle / Lucy (voice)
Directed by Phil Lord
as Effie Trinket
Directed by Francis Lawrence
as Lara Brennan
Directed by Paul Haggis
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Lucy
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Performance score7.9
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Lucy gives Elizabeth Banks a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Pam Mallard (voice)
Migration (2023)
Performance score7.7
Migration asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Pam Mallard (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Wyldstyle / Lucy (voice)
The Lego Movie (2014)
Performance score7.7
The Lego Movie asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Wyldstyle / Lucy (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Effie Trinket
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Performance score7.5
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Effie Trinket is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Lucy
Start here. Catch Me If You Can is the clearest statement of what Elizabeth Banks does — accessible, 141 minutes, and rated 8.2 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Elizabeth at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
The Next Three Days (2010)
Keeps the crime register of Catch Me If You Can but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
A deliberate change of key after The Next Three Days — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Keeps the adventure register of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire but asks for a colder reading of it.
Migration (2023)
Keeps the comedy register of The Lego Movie but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Sam Raimi
Director
3 films together
Notably Spider-Man
Francis Lawrence
Director
3 films together
Notably The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
David Wain
Director
3 films together
Notably Role Models
Gary Ross
Director
2 films together
Notably The Hunger Games
Elizabeth Banks
Director
2 films together
Notably Pitch Perfect 2
John Singleton
Director
1 film together
Notably Shaft
Guy Ritchie
Director
1 film together
Notably Swept Away
Steven Spielberg
Director
1 film together
Notably Catch Me If You Can
Judd Apatow
Director
1 film together
Notably The 40 Year Old Virgin
James Gunn
Director
1 film together
Notably Slither
Ericson Core
Director
1 film together
Notably Invincible
Melisa Wallack
Director
1 film together
Notably Meet Bill
Oliver Stone
Director
1 film together
Notably W.
Adam Brooks
Director
1 film together
Notably Definitely, Maybe
Brian Robbins
Director
1 film together
Notably Meet Dave
Paul Haggis
Director
1 film together
Notably The Next Three Days
Jesse Peretz
Director
1 film together
Notably Our Idiot Brother
Kirk Jones
Director
1 film together
Notably What to Expect When You're Expecting
Alex Kurtzman
Director
1 film together
Notably People Like Us
Brett Ratner
Director
1 film together
Notably Movie 43
Steven Brill
Director
1 film together
Notably Walk of Shame
Phil Lord
Director
1 film together
Notably The Lego Movie
Gregory Jacobs
Director
1 film together
Notably Magic Mike XXL
Dean Israelite
Director
1 film together
Notably Power Rangers
Brian Henson
Director
1 film together
Notably The Happytime Murders
Mike Mitchell
Director
1 film together
Notably The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Damian Kulash
Director
1 film together
Notably The Beanie Bubble
Austin Peters
Director
1 film together
Notably Skincare
Alex Prager
Director
1 film together
Notably DreamQuil
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Sam Raimi
Director
3 films together · 7.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Spider-ManFrancis Lawrence
Director
3 films together · 7.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Hunger Games: Catching FireDavid Wain
Director
3 films together · 6.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Role ModelsGary Ross
Director
2 films together · 7.2 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Hunger GamesElizabeth Banks
Director
2 films together · 6.6 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Pitch Perfect 2Steven Spielberg
Director
1 film together · 8.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Catch Me If You CanPhil Lord
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Lego MoviePaul Haggis
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Next Three DaysEricson Core
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
InvincibleAdam Brooks
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Definitely, MaybeAlex Kurtzman
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
People Like UsMike Mitchell
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Lego Movie 2: The Second PartJames Gunn
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SlitherDamian Kulash
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Beanie BubbleJudd Apatow
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The 40 Year Old VirginDean Israelite
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Power RangersOliver Stone
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
W.Gregory Jacobs
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Magic Mike XXLJesse Peretz
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Our Idiot BrotherMelisa Wallack
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Meet BillAustin Peters
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SkincareSteven Brill
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Walk of ShameKirk Jones
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
What to Expect When You're ExpectingJohn Singleton
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ShaftBrian Henson
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Happytime MurdersBrian Robbins
Director
1 film together · 5.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Meet DaveBrett Ratner
Director
1 film together · 4.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Movie 43Guy Ritchie
Director
1 film together · 4.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Swept AwayAlex Prager
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DreamQuilSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Catch Me If You Can
as Lucy
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Call Jane
as Joy
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Catch Me If You Can
as Lucy
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Shaft
as Trey's Friend
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Catch Me If You Can
as Lucy
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Elizabeth Banks has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
26 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
24 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Catch Me If You Can
as Lucy
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Catch Me If You Can
as Lucy
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Call Jane
as Joy
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Every Secret Thing
as Detective Nancy Porter
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Spider-Man 2
as Miss Brant
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Charlie's Angels
as Boz
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Lego Movie
as Wyldstyle / Lucy (voice)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Spider-Man
as Miss Brant
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
David Krumholtz
Built a career in the same territory: action and adventure
Cillian Murphy
Built a career in the same territory: drama and history
Have your say
Community
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Reference
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