Hollywood actress Elizabeth Banks is being mercilessly mocked for her failed attempt to show how liberal and feminist she is. In trying to slap the epithet of "sexist" on famed director Steven Spielberg, she instead exposed her own ignorance of his oeuvre.
Banks made the comments before a crowd at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
“I went to ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Jaws’ and every movie Steven Spielberg ever made, and by the way, he’s never made a movie with a female lead," she claimed. "Sorry, Steven. I don’t mean to call your ass out but it’s true.”
Unfortunately for her indignant attempt at liberal social justice war-mongering, it turns out Spielberg did in fact have a female lead in one of his movies: "The Color Purple" starring Oprah Winfrey in 1985.
According to The Wrap, someone in the audience corrected her, but Banks just moved on without comment.
The actress is giving every person on social media an opportunity to mock her for her lack of knowledge while expressing such underserved disdain. The punchline "The Color Purple" began trending on Twitter very soon after.
That awkward moment when you try to be woke but ignore The Color Purple. https://t.co/LvOPGVGRGY— neontaster (@neontaster) 1497543160.0
"Black Twitter," a name for the community of African-Americans on the social media platform, was especially scornful of her comments, as The Color Purple is widely prized and honored.
DONT. EVER COME FOR THE COLOR PURPLE. EVER.— Nini 💙 (@Nini 💙) 1497540187.0
For those who are unaware, black people black women especially LOVE The Color Purple. As a child it played in VCR's from 89' til VCR's died.— Lawdeala (@Lawdeala) 1497540120.0
Live look at the TL coming together because of The Color Purple slander https://t.co/7h6KJDP7rk— Matthew A. Cherry (@Matthew A. Cherry) 1497536432.0
ELIZABETH BANKS: Steven Spielberg never made a movie with a female lead AUDIENCE MEMBER: He made "The Color Purple… https://t.co/fkQ8Pxl2zH— Eric Haywood (@Eric Haywood) 1497532522.0
Also, Elizabeth Banks is older than me so how did she forget The Color Purple? https://t.co/AdECVjXP80— Leakest Wink (@Leakest Wink) 1497540065.0
As a writer at The Vibe put it, "There are few things in this world as sacred to the black community as 'The Color Purple.' I believe Ms. Banks and others now know this lesson."
Elizabeth Banks campaigned for Hillary Clinton's presidential run in 2016.