Actress: In movies, good looks open doors

Years ago, College alumna Elizabeth Banks was dining at the Palladium restaurant at 36th and Locust streets when she met her future husband.

On Friday, the actress was back in that same room -- a lecture hall now part of the ARCH Building -- to share her experiences as a Hollywood star with students.

Banks, who graduated from Penn in 1996, most recently appeared in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and is currently filming in Philadelphia for her next big-screen role in Invincible.

While Banks said her return to campus felt nostalgic, the city has changed since her time as a student.

"It has really come alive," she said. "I think Philly is one of the most underrated cities in America."

Banks came to Penn from Pittsfield, Mass.

Rather then attempting to start her acting career immediately after college, Banks attended American Conservatory Theater, where she learned the fine points of acting.

"I think acting is a craft," she said. "As a sort of smart person who has gone to Penn, I was really interested in that stuff."

She said she has always valued education as a means of becoming a well-rounded person and that educated individuals bring important intellect to acting.

"There are actors who do not know what iambic pentameter is, who do not know what inflection is," she said. At Penn, "you learn critical thinking, how to break down a scene."

However, Banks said she acknowledges that success in Hollywood does not come solely from education or even talent; appearance plays a big role.

"Look on TV and look in the movies, and if you look like those people, you will probably get a job," she said. "It's kind of sad, but it's the reality of the business."

Success in Hollywood requires business savvy and a strong drive, she said.

"You have got to have an agent," Banks added. "It's a business. But I think there is a way to be artful and commercial at the same time."

She began her career as an actress in commercials and said her big break came after she auditioned for the female lead in the Spiderman movie series.

Though she did not ultimately get the part, she won a minor role in the films and has also appeared in Wet Hot American Summer, Seabiscuit and Catch Me If You Can, among other films and shows.

Many members of the audience -- which nearly filled the room --were theatre arts majors or aspiring actors.

"I want to be an actress or a screenwriter," College junior Arian Boroumand said. "I'm not really a fan of any actor, but I respect them all for what they do."

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