Kristen Stewart revealed that she “hated” making “Charlie’s Angels,” the 2019 action-comedy reboot of the franchise.
The “Spencer” actor, in an interview for Variety’s “Know Their Lines” series, read one of her lines from the movie’s opening scene: “Did you know that it takes men an additional seven seconds to perceive a woman as a threat compared to a man?”
Stewart reacted to the line, calling it a “mouthful at the time,” before reflecting on the Elizabeth Banks-directed film that’s considered a box office flop.
“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. I hated making that movie. I don’t know what else to say to you,” said Stewart, Variety’s Sundance cover star.
Stewart, who starred in the reboot alongside Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska, went on to show appreciation to a trio of Angels who preceded her.
“Honestly, the three — you can’t touch [them]. Cameron [Diaz], Lucy [Liu] and Drew [Barrymore]. I love that movie. I love that movie. If that says anything,” Stewart said of the 2000 “Charlie’s Angels” movie.
Banks spoke out about the film in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine last year and pointed to the media for wanting to discuss it as a “feminist manifesto.”
“People kept saying, ‘You’re the first female director of Charlie’s Angels!’ And I was like, ‘They’ve only done a TV show and McG’s movies… what are you talking about? There’s not this long legacy,’” she said. “I just loved the franchise. There was not this gendered agenda from me. That was very much laid on top of the work, and it was a little bit of a bummer. It felt like it pigeonholed me and the audience for the movie.”
She later added that it was a “real bummer” to lose control of “the narrative.”
“You realize how the media can frame something regardless of how you’ve framed it,” Banks said. “I happen to be a woman who directed a ‘Charlie’s Angels’ movie that happened to star three incredible women. You can’t control the media saying, ‘You’re a lady director, and that’s special!’ — which it is, but it’s not the only thing.”