Elizabeth Banks felt ‘deep responsibility’ to release new film after Roe v Wade

Elizabeth Banks has said she feels a “much deeper responsibility” to release her new film in the wake of Roe v Wade being overturned.

The actress and director, 48, stars in the 1960s drama about a housewife who learns her pregnancy poses a threat to her own life and joins the Jane Collective to fight for abortion rights.

While the film was made before June when the US supreme court overturned the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, which established a constitutional right to abortion, Banks said it had only grown in relevance.

Appearing on the Graham Norton Show, Banks described the feature as “a coming of age movie of a 40-year old woman”.

She added: “The film was written and made before Roe v Wade was reversed but now we feel a much deeper responsibility to put this story out.”

Asked about how she speaks to her own children about sex, she replied: “I am not embarrassed at all and I am very open with them.

“I learnt from my own mother that those conversations should happen as early and as often as possible.

“The only way to lower the abortion rate is by great sex education to empower women to understand about what’s going on with their bodies and how to protect themselves and to learn that sex can be fun.”

Hollywood actress Kate Hudson also appeared on the programme to discuss appearing in the new Knives Out film, Glass Onion.

Staying tight-lipped about the plot of the whodunnit, the 43-year-old said: “I really can’t tell you much about it because it’s a mystery, but it was so much fun to do and my character Birdy was fabulous to play.

“The cast is wonderful and Daniel (Craig) was great fun to watch.

“We weren’t allowed to see the movie except with an audience, which I’ve never done before and it caused lots of sweating and a headache, but when I did see it with so many people it was just raucous and a great party. It was cool.”

The Graham Norton Show is on BBC One on Friday at 10.40pm.