ELIZABETH BANKS Jumped Off A Moving Train

Summary

Podcast Summary: Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers Episode: ELIZABETH BANKS Jumped Off A Moving Train Date: April 21, 2026 Guests: Elizabeth Banks

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Episode Overview

In this lively and nostalgic episode, Seth and Josh Meyers reconnect with their longtime friend Elizabeth Banks, focusing on her childhood memories, legendary family trips, and the chaos and comedy of extended Irish-American family travel. Banks—actor, producer, director, and Massachusetts native—shares hilarious, sometimes harrowing stories, including her infamous leap off a moving train as a child, family road trip disasters, card games as family glue, and what she wants from her vacations today. The discussion is infused with New England humor, familial warmth, and reflections on legacy, parenting, and why card game rules actually matter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New England Roots & Name Origins

• Elizabeth’s Family Heritage: Banks humorously recounts her deep Massachusetts-Irish roots—her ancestors immigrated from England to Massachusetts and “never went anywhere else.” (“…there’s nowhere they got there. They went from England to New England and then they never went anywhere else. And that is totally true. It turns out I was correct.” – [11:19])
• Changing Her Name for SAG: Born Elizabeth Mitchell, she had to pick a new SAG name due to a namesake. Despite initial reluctance and concern about family pride, she chose “Banks” after consulting with “Wet Hot American Summer” friends. (“…I literally made a list and put it in alphabetical order and called SAG. And I said, is Banks available? And they said, yeah, it’s available. I go, I’ll take it.” – [13:23])

2. Growing Up in a Large Irish-Catholic Clan

• Size and Structure: Both sides of Banks’s family are full of “aunts and uncles all over the place.” Her Dad is one of eight; her Mom, one of seven.
• Family Vacations = Visiting Family: Most childhood trips were road trips to see relatives, with lots of detours. Flying was rare and considered a big deal—Elizabeth didn’t board a plane until age 12. (“…most of my family trips were just car rides to visit people.” – [15:41])

3. Legendary Travel Stories

• Jumping Off a Moving Train ([27:25] – [32:18]):
  • The Banks family, stranded by a snowstorm with no station stop in their town, is offered the option to be “tossed” off a slowed, but not stopped, train. Luggage and family members (including a baby!) are thrown into snowbanks. Banks describes it as exhilarating as a child, but admits her parents were in “full panic.”
    • Quote: “They started before the train got to the station just chucking our bags out into the snow…Then my dad jumped down and my mom. The guy threw me out and I just went into the snowbank. Like, boop. Like, it was the most fun thing in the world.” — Elizabeth Banks ([28:34])
    • Reflection: While the kids were delighted, Elizabeth notes she doubts this would be allowed today.
• Station Wagon Mishaps ([32:41]):
  • The classic “wayback” seat, facing backward, led to a memorable scene: after a McDonald’s stop, Elizabeth watched her sister being left behind, only realizing due to her unique view. (“…the only reason we even knew we left her there is because I was facing backwards and could see her…” — [34:01])
• Canada Road Trip Fiasco ([35:39]):
  • A trip through Canada to Chicago included a minor car accident (her dad still owes Canada money), a bottle thrown out the window, a boomerang loogie hitting her sister’s face, and visits to Niagara Falls, Toronto, and the Thousand Islands.
    • Quote: “My dad has post nasal drip…made a big loogie, spit it out the window…It came back in the back window and slapped my sister on the face.” — Elizabeth Banks ([40:29])

4. Family Game Culture & Card Game Rivalry

• Card Games as Family Bond: Pitch, hearts, gin rummy, cribbage, and mahjong are central to both Banks’s upbringing and her current family. The “rules matter” philosophy is strong, and game nights can get competitive but loving.
  • Quote: “My parents very rarely make mistakes in cards…If there's the best card to play, they know…and they're not messing up.” — Elizabeth Banks ([56:16])
  • She jokes about being “banned” from Settlers of Catan for over-negotiating ([58:10]).
• Zoom Card Games in the Pandemic: During COVID lockdowns, virtual hearts and pitch kept the extended family connected ([50:22]).
• Mahjong Boom: Banks learned during the pandemic, now hosts day and night groups, and enjoys teaching friends ([54:36]).

5. Parenting, Sibling Dynamics, & Family Legacy

• Kids & Sibling Bonds: Banks's children, close in age, are great friends—helped by travel and pandemic “bubble.” She reflects on her own “Irish twin” sister and how teenage self-absorption created a temporary distance from younger siblings ([47:12]).
• Organization Requires a Village: She candidly admits to struggling to keep up with her kids’ lives and enjoys having a “family assistant” ([48:06]).
• Family Reunions: Both the Mitchell and Howard families have multi-generational reunions, planned via tech and complete with T-shirts and activities (e.g., river floats in Utah, Hyannis on Cape Cod). Banks loves that her children are excited by these gatherings ([65:46]).

6. Reflections on New England & Giving Back

• Boston Sports: Banks is a proud investor in the new Boston women’s soccer team (NWSL), tying sports legacy and family identity ([66:26]).
  • “I really love Massachusetts...I really wanted to build a legacy there.” — Elizabeth Banks ([69:16])
• Massachusetts Mores: The hosts and Banks joke about New England skepticism (“the state motto is ‘You’re not better than me’” – [14:00]) and the slow process of Banks winning back local approval after her name change ([70:19–70:30]).
• Community, Pride, and Generosity: Despite a Hollywood life, Banks stays deeply connected to her roots.

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Notable Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Irish-American Family Culture:
  • "It's always never like the exact route. It's like, well, we gotta stop off places and visit any other relative we've ever met." — Elizabeth Banks ([16:06])
• On Familial Panic vs. Kids' Fun:
  • "It was the most fun as a kid...I'm sure that they [my parents] were in a full panic..." — Elizabeth Banks ([30:13])
• On Card Game Rules:
  • “Them’s the rules.” — Elizabeth Banks ([58:09])
• On Pandemic Memory:
  • "It's crazy. You really feel the audience be like, oh, right...the collective memory loss, which is part of the coping." — Josh Meyers ([50:10])
• On Name Change and Community Reception:
  • "There's just that, like, 'Oh, you changed your name. What are you, fancy now?'" — Elizabeth Banks ([14:08])
• On Dream Travel:
  • “I really want to go on safari. I’ve never been on safari. I really want to go safari in Africa. Big time.” — Elizabeth Banks ([74:06])

Lighthearted Speed Round (70:53 – 74:00)

• Ideal Vacation: Relaxing (but her husband wants more educational, “city” trips).
• Favorite Transportation: Private jet (rare!), otherwise trains—dreams of the Orient Express.
• Desert Island Companion: Her dog, Saucer, “for survival reasons.”
• Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls? Niagara Falls (“…you can do it in two hours. You go on the Maid of the Mist, your brain is blown out of your head.” — [75:32])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [09:33] – Guest Arrival & New England Banter
• [13:23] – Name Change to “Banks”
• [15:33] – Childhood Family Vacations
• [27:25] – The (Literal) Jumping Off of the Train
• [35:39] – Canada Trip, Car Accident, and Legendary Mishaps
• [54:36] – The Great Mahjong Boom & Family Game Theory
• [60:33] – Card Game Recommendations (“The Crew”)
• [65:46] – Family Reunions, Planning, and Traditions
• [66:26] – Pride in Boston, New Women’s Soccer Team
• [70:53] – Speed Round: Vacation Preferences, Transportation, Dream Trips

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Takeaways

• Elizabeth Banks’s family stories are equal parts adrenaline (jumping off trains, getting left at McDonald's) and warmth (card games, reunions, sibling bonds).
• The episode highlights the humor, love, and chaos of growing up in an enormous Irish-American family.
• Banks remains profoundly proud of her Massachusetts heritage, seeking to give back (NWSL investor) and carry forward the legacy she inherited.
• Whether it’s travel, sibling wrestling, card table rivalries, or name-changing, it all comes back to family—real, raucous, and lasting.

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For Listeners Who Want More

• Check out Elizabeth Banks's new series, The Miniature Wife, on Peacock.
• Explore new card and board games with your own family—take her tips!
• Consider visiting Pittsfield (especially in summer!), Niagara Falls, or simply getting your family together at a state park barbecue—don’t forget the matching T-shirts.

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Episode Tone: Warm, irreverent, story-packed, and full of classic New England self-deprecation and hilarity. Expect hearty laughs, clear affection, and a triumphant sense that messy, mishap-laden family trips make the best memories.

Transcript

[Elizabeth Banks]

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[Josh]

Day Baji.

[Sufi]

Hey, Sufi.

[Josh]

We had a poshe sighting in New York City.

[Sufi]

Oh, yeah. Oh. I was like, who? But yeah, me.

[Josh]

It's the other Pashi. You know, tall, poshe.

[Sufi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Had a little afternoon hang.

[Josh]

We had an afternoon hang. It was a really beautiful spring day in New York City. You came to pick up with me. We got the boys, we hung out with Ash for a bit and then we got Addie, eventually Axel, but it was like really a great night because we just kind of hung out in my apartment. As the sun set in New York City, golden light come through the windows. My in laws Tom and Joanne came over. You were walking. I was walking with Ash and you were walking with another uncle Tolya, my brother in law. And Ash at one point said, boy, Pasci and Toya are really getting along.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I don't know.

[Josh]

They know each other.

[Sufi]

We've always gotten along.

[Josh]

But it's just like, I just like. He was like, oh, it's kind of. Because again, like, he doesn't see the two of you guys together that often. And so it was just kind of sweet that he thought. He thought that was a nice thing to observe.

[Sufi]

It was adorable. Addie got home and it was adorable. She was in her ballet gear.

[Josh]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sufi]

And you were like, when she comes in the door, you're like, hide, hide. But then she comes in and she's sort of like. She's always just a hair's breadth away from laughing at anything, Anything. And so walked in and sort of like laughed just to see you and then saw me and kept laughing and. Yeah, and her little.

[Josh]

It was really great. Yeah. She just. This morning, Alexi's on a family trip right now with Axel. First time the two of them have taken a trip together. They're going out to California to see a friend of Alexi's whose daughter is very close with Axel. So that's very exciting. And then me and Addie this morning had a really nice morning. She has a little ukulele now and she did a show and she went into a room and closed the door and told me I had to turn over, like, one of those little hourglass plastic hourglasses that come with board games. Yep. I had to turn that over while she set up chairs. And then I went in, and I'd love to send you a video of her song, but she.

[Sufi]

I.

[Josh]

When I came in, she said, no cameras.

[Sufi]

Oh, yeah, yeah. It's sometimes nice to just have to experience it.

[Josh]

100. 100. It was a great show, and I'm really glad that I was in the moment, but I think she went to, like, a magic show where they said no cameras. And. And so now she's like, no, no, no, this is. This is a show.

[Sufi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh]

She.

[Sufi]

She did have that little hourglass timer when I was over as well. And at one point, we were all sitting around in the living room and she said, no one talk. No one make any noise until this is done. And she really was hard and fast to that rule. And I gotta say, it was delightful.

[Josh]

It was delightful when she really. When any. Anybody even giggled, she would press her finger right against her mouth.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Make our eyes real big.

[Sufi]

Yeah. She's also. She's very demanding. She had me turn that couch and the little TV room into her pirate ship. Yeah.

[Josh]

Oh, I posted a fun video online where you were.

[Sufi]

Yeah. She insisted that I get inside, and I sort of had to, you know, belly crawl into this little. Between these two little. Why can I not think of those cushions, the footrests.

[Josh]

Oh, like ottomans.

[Sufi]

Ottomans. Yeah. It's like two ottomans with a pillow over them to the couch. And I had to squeeze my way into that little tight space. And she kept telling me I wasn't in yet until I was fully all the way underneath.

[Josh]

It was pretty great. She did a thing. What was the. You were ordering pizza from her and she was.

[Sufi]

I had to order pizza? Yeah, yeah.

[Josh]

She was the captain of a pizza boat. It was pretty. Pretty confusing.

[Sufi]

Yeah. I didn't know what was going on, but I was.

[Josh]

I know this. You didn't get your pizza. You did. Yeah.

[Sufi]

At one point she gave me my pizza, but that was just her hand saying, here's your pizza.

[Josh]

Yeah, it was imaginary.

[Sufi]

Our dog Woody found a piece of pizza yesterday at the park. There was a birthday party going on, and he went up to the.

[Josh]

Did he. Did he then try to return it to the rightful owner?

[Sufi]

No, he. He was truly like the dog that caught the car and that he had a full piece of pizza in mouth and didn't know what to do about it.

[Josh]

Uhhuh.

[Sufi]

He couldn't just take one Bite. He just sort of was walking around with it in his mouth like, I. I don't know what to do.

[Josh]

So he got.

[Sufi]

I pulled it away from him and he, he got a. A healthy, healthy bit. But it was clearly some kid had dropped it. And at this birthday party they were like, we clean this up later. But Woody got it and was pretty psyched.

[Josh]

That's great. Good for Woody. I'm happy. I'm happy when nice things happen to that dog.

[Sufi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh]

He deserves it.

[Sufi]

Nicest, nicest dog in the world.

[Josh]

I will report back soon. I'm taking Ash to his first Red Sox game. Oh, and we're going to meet up with mom and dad. We are going to be very touristy in Boston. We're going to do the duck boat tour. We're going to go to the Boston Tea Party Museum. Mm. We're gonna go to the aquarium. We're gonna go to Faneuil Hall. We're gonna go to a Red Sox game. Great. Pretty good.

[Sufi]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Josh]

Amtrak, we could take the train and. Yeah, we're very, very excited about it all.

[Sufi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh]

I'm very good. It's very lucky because once again, shout out to my in laws but like I can, you know, Alexi's on a trip with Axel, I'm taking a trip with Ash and we can leave Addie with her grandparents, with her aunt, with her uncle. And she's equally excited about it all.

[Sufi]

Has Ash spent any time in Boston?

[Josh]

No, not really. And he's read a lot of. He's at the age where they've read a lot about the Revolutionary War, so he's pretty excited.

[Sufi]

Okay.

[Josh]

Although he was huge, he did root for the British, so I think it'll sting a little bit.

[Sufi]

Yeah, he liked their coats.

[Josh]

He did.

[Sufi]

He did like the red coat style just were sharp.

[Josh]

Did we talk about Axel's outfit on his golden birthday?

[Sufi]

No.

[Josh]

I mean, so I. Were you aware of golden birthdays when we were kids?

[Sufi]

Kind of. But it's sort of. I don't know, it almost feels like it was an early. Like, I know it was pre social media, but it feels like a social media thing. Right.

[Josh]

So you know, it was. Axel turned eighth on the eighth. He knew it was his golden birthday.

[Sufi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh]

He was very excited about it. So much so that a month ago.

[Sufi]

Just explain. It's.

[Josh]

Oh, yeah. So when you turn. Yeah. What the year. When you turn the year of the day. It is. So I was. My golden birthday was when I turned 28. Cuz I'm born on the 28th.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Yours was. Your axle was on an axle.

[Sufi]

Mine was on the way.

[Josh]

Axle. Eighth.

[Sufi]

Okay.

[Josh]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Near an axle. Sorry. Just checking and that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then. Oh. So he. But a month out, he told Alexi he wanted to wear all gold, so she bought him a full gold suit, gold shoes and pretty rad. And like, we just went to, like, teacher conferences. And it is very nice when they're like, yeah, I've never seen a kid like Axel. In a good way.

[Sufi]

Yeah, in a good way.

[Josh]

They're never like. We've never seen a kid who reads as well as Axel. That never happens.

[Sufi]

But a lot of the fashion stuff, that outfit.

[Josh]

Yeah. They're never like, hey, you know the, the movie Beautiful Mind? He's like that. But for gold suits, Man. Elizabeth Banks.

[Sufi]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Josh]

Speaking of Boston, you're just a good old fashioned New England. New England lady.

[Sufi]

Yeah. I mean, been a fan from the jump from the. The wet hot American summer days. We were going to have her on for something else like a year ago or a year and a half ago, and it didn't work out and it was a bummer. But then it was like, well, it's Elizabeth Banks. She's going to keep making stuff. And sure enough, she did. She's got. The Miniature Wife has just come out

[Josh]

and great reviews as well. Yeah. So check that out on Peacock and enjoy our friend, Elizabeth Banks.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Hi.

[Miles Brothers (Host/Narrator)]

Hey.

[Sufi]

Hi, buddy.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I realized I just popped on.

[Sufi]

That's how it happens.

[Josh]

We're happy to have you.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I know.

[Josh]

We just talked to Jason Schwartzman who said, hello.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Oh, hi, Jason. Oh, man. Can we do all that? We should have done, all four of us.

[Josh]

He was very mean because he did not like that we were wrapping up with him to talk to you.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Wow.

[Josh]

So there was some cruelty at first.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah. Isn't he just the cruelest?

[Sufi]

He is, yeah.

[Josh]

Once the worst finding out, we told

[Sufi]

him we had to cut him off and he's like, why? What do you guys have. What are you doing? What are you doing now? You want to call Elizabeth Banks and tell her that we're, you know, we're still on with you. You're welcome to.

[Josh]

And then we said you were doing. He goes, what's she doing? What's she promoting? And we said, the Miniature wife with Matthew McFaddy. And he said, oh, he's the one who said yes to that. How are you, friend?

[Elizabeth Banks]

What's up, guys? How you guys doing? What's up?

[Josh]

We're thrilled to talk to a fellow New Englander.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I Literally was just thinking the same thing. You guys are in New Hampshire, though, right? You're in Hampshire?

[Josh]

Yeah, we're in New Hampshire. Yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Right, right. Close enough.

[Josh]

Where's Pittsfield?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Were you on the border? Where are you from?

[Josh]

We were close enough to the border. It was about 50. 50 to get to Boston, right? Posh. Yeah. Like, we drove to Boston half of the time.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, got it.

[Sufi]

But you're at Pittsfield. That's way west.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah. Oh, as west as you can get before you're in New York. Yes.

[Josh]

Yeah, got it.

[Sufi]

My wife is from Shelburne Falls, which is about an hour from here.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Of course. Of course. You know, I just did finding your roots, which was incredible. But, you know the very first question that Skip Gates, Henry Louis Gates Jr asks you when you're on, there's like, you know, where are you from? Like, where do you think your people are from? And I'm like, oh, I'm Massachusetts. Like, from the beginning, like, there's nowhere they got there. They went from England to New England and then they never went anywhere else. And that is totally true. It turns out I was correct.

[Josh]

He's like, we did a world map to show where the banks are, and there's like two red dots.

[Elizabeth Banks]

It's literally. Also, it's so funny. I'm so Irish. And, you know, if you were from the British Isles, like, nobody got to you. It was like the British Isles, like, maybe a Viking got in every once in a while and like, maybe if you could take a boat to northern France, you maybe got a little of that. But, like, that was it. Like, they did not. We are just, boom. That's all. I am 95% Irish, basically.

[Josh]

Were there a lot of banks in Pittsfield, Mass. Did you have, like, aunts and uncles and stuff?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Well, wildly. There are no banks because that is a made up, fake name. Oh, great. Yeah. I had to make up a name because Elizabeth Mitchell was in sag. That is my real name. I'm Elizabeth Mitchell. And there are a lot of Mitchells. Yes, Mitchell. Much more like English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh Mitchell.

[Josh]

Right, yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah.

[Josh]

So did you enjoy having the opportunity to pick a new name or were you bummed that you couldn't bring Elizabeth Mitchell to the. To the world?

[Elizabeth Banks]

It's so interesting because in the moment, I was super bummed. And it was really that I felt like my. It was such a funny Massachusetts thing too. I wanted my parents to get credit for me, and I felt like if I changed my name, people would be like, nah, she's not Your daughter. Right. You know, and, like. Like, I was worried for them. Cause I just wanted them to be proud of me. And I thought, like, oh, they won't be as proud if they don't get to be like, no. Really? That's my daughter. Not thinking that, like, women change their name all the time when we get married. Right. And so, of course, someone said that to me. And then also, it was actually David Wayne and Michael Ian Black and the whole gang from Oaxat American Summer. I had to literally change my name to be put in the credits of that movie. And so they. And they all changed their names, and they're like, who? Like, just do it. And so I did it for Whitehead American Summer. It became Banks. I literally made a list and put it in alphabetical order and called sag. And I said, is Banks available? And they said, yeah, it's available. I go, I'll take it. It was like, that was it.

[Josh]

I also think there's a fear in New England not just that your parents wouldn't be like that. There's a thing of, like, the New Englanders would be like, why'd she change it somehow?

[Elizabeth Banks]

100%. 100%. Yeah. Some little shame. She'd get in trouble. She get in trouble.

[Josh]

I love New England. And yet there's a. There's still a. I would. I don't know, like, a haunting lack of trust about the people that I call my closest. My closest companions.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Haunting. Lots of truck. The way I like to think of it, too, is. Well, the state motto is, you're not better than me.

[Josh]

Right, Right.

[Elizabeth Banks]

And so I also think there's just that, like, oh, you changed your name. What are you fancy now? Like, what do you. You know, it's a lot of.

[Josh]

One of my favorite. There was an SNL when Nancy Kerrigan hosted snl. They were. They did a sketch about her being in, like, a home because she was from Massachusetts. Like, a parade where she came back after the Olympics and Adam Sandler crawls in the back of the car and goes, how'd you get that job? And she was like, as a skater, and it's just, like, the best. Like, there's some sense of, like, somebody pulled a string for you to be an Olympic skater, of course.

[Elizabeth Banks]

But then ultimately, changing my name became super weird in that I feel like I was able to create this alternate personality that is the actress Elizabeth Banks that actually has nothing to do with my real life, in a way. They've obviously melded more and more over time. But I remember my husband who I've been with now for 34 years. Wow. He would say to me all the time, like when I. After I changed my name, would be doing stuff I'd be doing. So I'd get all dressed up and then I do something stupid. And he'd go, oof, there's Liz Mitchell. There she is. That's a real Liz Mitchell.

[Josh]

You can tie a bow, you can tie a Banks bow on a Liz Mitchell, but every now and then it comes undone.

[Elizabeth Banks]

There she is.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

What were your.

[Josh]

So what was your vacation life like being from Western Mass?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Well, I. So because I'm from this giant Irish Catholic family. My dad is from eight and my mom is from seven.

[Josh]

Wow.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Kids. And so we had so many aunts and uncles all over the place. And so most of my family trips were just car rides to visit people. Right. Like, we were just gonna go visit. You know, my granddad moved to Chicago and it's like, well, we're all going to. We're getting in the car and driving to Chicago. And maybe we would stop along the way and visit, like an aunt in Cleveland. Like, it was always never like the exact route. It was like, well, we gotta stop off places and visit any other relative we've ever met.

[Sufi]

Because if you don't.

[Josh]

Are you.

[Sufi]

Are those people offended you drove through

[Elizabeth Banks]

and you didn't come for lunch? Like, you know, yeah, you gotta stop over. So we did a lot of car rides and train rides. Loved Amtrak growing up. We took Amtrak to Chicago several times when my grandfather was living there. And then he moved to Cleveland, so it was like Cleveland and Chicago. And then my dad's family was all south, so everybody. The Carolinas and Franklin, Tennessee. And then we would go down to Florida. So my grandparents, late in life, ended up in Central Florida. Not by the ocean, mind you.

[Josh]

Right.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Right in Central Florida. Living down there in the winters, because, you know, Massachusetts winter is no joke if you're 80 years old. And they drove like a VW, like Vanagon, like there are now. They're like back and cool again. The ones with like the table in the back and like, we would pile into that thing. My grandpa's VF van. And that was my favorite thing to drive around. And me and all my cousins, I had so many cousins, we were always going to visit people. So mostly it was car rides to visit people. I didn't go on an airplane till I was 12. And it was on People's Express.

[Josh]

Wow.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Which. Yeah.

[Josh]

No memory.

[Elizabeth Banks]

No memory. People's Express was like. I think it was Lowlier than Spirit Airlines would be now.

[Josh]

You know their tagline, we're more peoples than plane?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Pretty much. So we took, like, a people's express plane to Washington, D.C. to visit. Visit my uncle, obviously, and go stay with him and see the monuments and do the Smithsonian, all that stuff. And we dressed up to get on the plane, like, because we thought, like, it was, you know, if you're going on a plane, you're a rich person. Like, you gotta get fancy if you're riding on an airplane. So, yeah, it was trips like that. I mean, I didn't have a passport until I was in college. And it was, you know, I was going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with a production of. What was it called? Like, Odysseus. Like a really old.

[Josh]

A college production.

[Elizabeth Banks]

A college production of that that we went to.

[Josh]

So we, Josh and I did Edinburgh in our early 20s.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, I would have been 22.

[Josh]

I mean, greatest summer of your life.

[Elizabeth Banks]

One of the best times. I still think about it all the time, actually. The craziest thing that happened there. I just brought this up to somebody because we. I can't remember. We were traveling somewhere and we couldn't pull up a Google map, right? And I was remembering back then, no maps. We went out. We went out. I don't know where we were staying in some dorms or something. University of Edinburgh. And, like, we went dancing one night out pubs. And then just like, late night, party, party, party. And then it was freezing, which is, of course, in August, right? In Scotland, it was freezing. It's nowhere else in the world as cold as this in August. And we were shivering in a taxi stand trying to get home, like, you know, drunk and, like, hats coming down off of, like, the best night of our lives. We get in, we wait for 40 minutes in a taxi line. Freezing. The taxi pulls up, we pile into it, we tell him where we're going. He rolls his eyes and drives us around the block. Like, literally drives us 500ft. He drove us. And it's like, you were right here. You never needed a taxi. You could have been home an hour ago. You didn't need to be cold. We had no idea where we were. You know, we were in, like, a foreign city. We thought it was like, you know,

[Josh]

it is really fantastic having fully crossed the threshold into. You can't believe how hard it used to be. You know what I mean? Like, just the amount of, like. I mean, that's also like, you know, that's a story about what it was like without Uber, you know? Cause There was, there was. So much of my European life was taxi lines.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Taxi lines. And, and not really knowing where, you know, there was no map. Maybe what, are you going to bring a paper map to the club to go dancing? Like, you know, that's what we were relying on. Like paper, foldable paper maps that we would stick in like purses.

[Josh]

We used to live in Amsterdam. There was that unique experience of going out and maybe having a sort of a narcotic aided evening of dancing where you just really start thinking like, oh my God, we're all gonna live forever. Everybody I know is magic. Like smash cut to rainy cab line. And you're like, nope, we're all assholes. We live in a city of assholes.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Exactly. Oh, man. Yes. A lot of car ice.

[Josh]

Hey, we're gonna take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors. Support comes from hims. There's a lot of noise out there about hair loss. Paschi. Mm. 10 in one, shampoos, random advice, expensive clinic visits. HIMS cuts through all that with real trusted treatments and 100% online process. HIMS offers convenient access to a range of prescription hair loss treatments with ingredients at work, including chews, oral medications, serums and sprays. That's a lot of different options. I think that's nice. I think some of us prefer a chew, some of us like a spray. And it's nice that HIMS has a. Has all of those for you.

[Sufi]

Yeah, you shouldn't have to go out of your way to feel like yourself. And HIMS brings expert care straight to you with 100% online access to personalized treatment plans that put your goals first.

[Josh]

Also, you can find the right hair regrowth treatment for yourself with flexible subscription Options, access to 24.7 provider support, and once a day treatment options that fit your daily routine. For simple online access to personalized and affordable care for hair loss, ED, weight loss and more, visit hims.com trips that's hims.com trips for your free online visit hims.com trips Featured products include compound drug products which the FDA does not approve or verify for safety, effectiveness or quality. Prescription required. See website for full details, restrictions and important safety information. Individual results may vary based on studies of topical and oral minoxidil and finasteride. Support comes from Yahoo. Mail now with planner. Hey, Baji.

[Sufi]

Hey, Sufi.

[Josh]

Oh, man, I need to get my life organized. You know, you host a podcast, or in my case, two podcasts, or in your case, two podcasts, and it's easy to get them all mixed up.

[Sufi]

Yeah, well. Planner brings your tasks, reminders and events into one simple view so you don't have to jump between apps or piece your day together.

[Josh]

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[Sufi]

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[Josh]

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[Sufi]

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[Josh]

Support comes from Shopify Hey Bhaji, hey Sufi. I mean, when we started this podcast we didn't know what we were doing.

[Sufi]

Yeah, that's true.

[Josh]

So much work goes into this thing that you're not entirely sure will work out. It can be hard to make that leap of faith. We know and Shopify is the partner you need when you're about to start a new company, launch a new product. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world. 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Allbirds, Magic Spood or Momofuoco to brands just getting started.

[Sufi]

Get started with your own design studio. With hundreds of ready to use templates, Shopify helps you build a beautiful online store that matches your brand's style. Best yet, Shopify is your commerce expert with world class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shipping and processing returns and beyond.

[Josh]

What if people haven't heard about my brand? Would Shopify help get me like maybe up and running with an email or social media campaign?

[Sufi]

Yeah, they do that.

[Josh]

It's great to hear. It's time to turn those what ifs into with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com trips go to shopify.com trips shopify.com trips this message is brought to you by Apple Card Appcard is designed with your iPhone in mind, making it easy to get started and even easier to use.

[Sufi]

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[Elizabeth Banks]

Stock your fridge now. How about a creamy mocha Frappuccino drink? Or a sweet vanilla smooth caramel maybe? Or a white chocolate mocha? Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks Frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries. Here we go.

[Sufi]

Did your family come over to visit you while you were in the or is that one that they just let you.

[Elizabeth Banks]

No. My mom got a passport for her 50th birthday. We got my mom her passport. She went to London and Paris. I sent her for her birthday, good daughter that I am. And then with one of my sisters went. She got to go have this amazing time. And then ultimately my mom ended up going to China and standing on the Great Wall of China. Like all these amazing things that happened later in life. But the save guys is something that would really affect someone like my mom. My mom has her passport expired. She doesn't travel anymore. Like she's married. Her birth certificate is not her name. I just want to say yeah, for anyone, by the way, even if her

[Josh]

birth certificate was her name. Who has their birth certificate?

[Elizabeth Banks]

My birth certificate is long gone, by the way. I changed my name from Mitchell to Banks. I don't have a birth certificate that

[Josh]

matches my name, by the way. Once you do that, you lose the right to vote as far as I'm concerned.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Well, I'm also a woman.

[Josh]

I don't want to be that guy. But that's crazy.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I have.

[Josh]

I'm of the, you know, a woman who changes her name to not the name of her husband has lost the right to have a say in our election.

[Elizabeth Banks]

That's definitely what they think.

[Josh]

Do you. Can I ask you real quick? I have a lot. I love a train and. But I also feel like a lot of my train life was first Europe, where obviously they care a lot more about their trains. And then Asela, which is, you know, is it is the trip to Chicago. I want to romanticize it in my head. But is it a good ride?

[Elizabeth Banks]

It's a great ride. I'm also very comfortable with that Northeast Corridor, guys. That is my whole. Because I went to Philadelphia for college and so to get home, it was always taking that Oselo or the Amtrak. We loved it. The greatest memory I have, though was we went out like pre holiday, you know, between Thanksgiving and Christmas to go visit relatives to then be home for Christmas morning for Santa was coming, and there was a massive snowstorm. And where I'm from, Pittsburgh, Massachusetts, as we said, little town in Western Mass. So the train really stops in Albany, and it goes to Springfield and Boston, and that's it. And if you have these little towns in between, you are in a snowstorm. The train is like, we can't stop because if we fully stop, we won't be able to get going again. Right, Right. Cause they're gonna. They're sitting on tons of snow on the track. So coming back from Chicago, I remember because I was like 6 and my sister was little, and then my mom had my baby sister, a literal baby. They were like, came to us and were like, we're not stopping. So if you want to get off here, you can go to Springfield, where we had no car, no way to get back to Pittsfield in a snowstorm. They're like, we're going to slow down and we're going to toss you off this train. That is literally what happened. So I remember my parents being like, okay, here's what's going to happen. And, like, with the conductor and, like, the guy, they took our luggage with my dad, and they started before the train got to the station, just chucking our bags out into the snow, just into snowdrifts, into the snowdrift. And then my dad jumped down and my mom. The guy threw me out, and I just went into the snowbank. Like, boop. Like, it was the most fun thing in the world. My dad left me. My sister next just gets tossed in the snowbank. We think it's the greatest time of our lives. Then my mom has to throw, like, come down the stairs and try and toss a baby to my father, who's trying to go sideways in a snow bank. And then my mom jumped out and, like, that was us. So it was, like, well planned. And it was the most fun as a kid. It was like, oh, my God. It's the most fun thing ever.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

You changed your name to Banks.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Remember my dad having then to trudge through the snow to go get our bags, which were like hundreds of feet down the track.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

To pick up our luggage and bring it to the car. And it was completely insane. But that was so fun.

[Josh]

I have so many questions about this incredible moment.

[Elizabeth Banks]

It was so fun.

[Josh]

So fun for you.

[Sufi]

Was your.

[Josh]

Were your parents like, this is fun, or were your parents like, oh, my God, this is. Yeah. Okay.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I'm sure that they were in a full panic about it. Weirdly, the people on the train were like, we're going to slow down. Like, it's gonna be okay. And. But I mean, it was sort of like, it was like they were doing us a favor. Like, we're doing you the favor of getting you off the train where you want to get off. But to be clear, like, we're. It was just like, look, it's. We're Jeff def. We're just definitely not stopping for real.

[Josh]

Were they or do you feel like there were other families that were getting chucked at different stops on the way

[Elizabeth Banks]

other people got off? I remember, like jumped off there, but not with three kids, a baby in tow. You know, that's what was really crazy. But at the end of the day, I'm telling you, it was a four foot snow bank. Like, you could literally just like fall off the train and you were in the snow.

[Josh]

So it's actually weirdly good for a person and bad for the luggage.

[Elizabeth Banks]

The hardest part was having to trudge back and get the luggage for sure.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

And I feel like they threw the luggage. And then there's. Cause luggage has no concern.

[Josh]

It's fine.

[Sufi]

Luggage is like, I'm fine to jump. And then there's that hesitation before the first person in your family's like, oh, wait, this is. We're doing this. And then you get further away from your luggage.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah. Because my dad got off. I was like, oh, fun. Whee. Like, you know, I was like, this seems like the best time ever. And you know, I grew up playing in snow, so it didn't seem weird. But looking back on it, I don't know if they do that anymore. Like it seems.

[Josh]

Yeah, that doesn't seem like. I don't think they do so nuts. Do you? Was that immediately family lore? That's such a good story. Is that like something. I mean, that's the greatest. Because I would say like, once you're safe and in the car, you must immediately. I would hope your parents would know. Oh, my God. This is an all timer.

[Elizabeth Banks]

It was so fun. I think it was in the moment. Yes. It's become family lore. There are a few stories like that of traveling stories. That's one. Because it was just so crazy. And it's like, well, what were you going to do? Go to Springfield? And then who was going to pick us up? And how are we going to in a snowstorm?

[Josh]

Right. It's even worse than it's Christmas and

[Sufi]

you're trying to be Santa.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Like, yeah. So we had to do it. We had to get out, jump off that train.

[Josh]

Wait, so how many Siblings did you end up?

[Elizabeth Banks]

I'm the oldest of four. I have a baby brother who is 11 years younger than me. He was not born when this happened. Oh, gosh.

[Josh]

And was it. Is the rest of it. Is it girls and then him?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, three girls and then a baby brother.

[Josh]

Unbelievable.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Master Mitchell. The other family lore, great fun story is we had that. I don't even think they allow these anymore because they're so unsafe. The car, the station wagon that had the backseat that faced backwards. Remember that? Like, the best, right? So we did a lot of trips in that car. And so we loved sitting in the wayback. We called it the way back. And so we got to sit in the way back. You'd face backwards. There was no AC back there at all, as I recall. You spend so much summer travel just, like, dying back there. So we would sit back there. And I remember we were on the Mass pike, and there are a lot of rest stops on the mass pike. So we had pulled off to a rest stop. It was a McDonald's. I remember it was a big deal to go to a McDonald's and get a Happy Meal when you're little, right? And so we went to the McDonald's, and as we were pulling out of the McDonald's, I remember waving to my sister, who had been left behind.

[Josh]

I'm not being that helpful.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Whoops. Bye. Like, oh, well.

[Sufi]

So you didn't call it out.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I think I was, like, confused.

[Josh]

Yep. That makes sense, right?

[Elizabeth Banks]

You know, like, wait, is that her? And why are we driving already? And I don't know, you know, just getting. I'm sure there were cousins in the car. It was probably, as I think about it, like, we might have been going. We were probably going to, like, a softball tournament with a bunch of kids in the car or something. And I just remember the only reason we even knew we left her there is because I was facing backwards and could see her, you know, like, waving, like, running after us. Us, like, coming out. And I remember we used to. When you went into the rest stop, you know, they always had those. The pinball machines and, like, the claw, you know, and we would just sit at that claw and, like, watch people try and do it and never really put any money into it. We would always beg to do it and could we get candy and all the things that kids do at those places. And I'm sure that my sister was just, like, hanging out, looking at the claw when everybody got in the car and drove off. So we had to, like, do the thing where you go to the next. My mother in a full panic for the next 25 minutes of, like, driving around. Go to the next exit. Get back on. Get back off. Come. Go to the next exit, get back on. Go back. You know, to get my sister, who was fine and was there and was not a big deal, but, you know, those 25 minutes.

[Josh]

But thank God, I would imagine if your sister had not seen you way better. Like, she probably had faith that, like.

[Elizabeth Banks]

All right, they're coming.

[Josh]

They'll be back.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Liz is on this, but also, where is she? I mean, she's not going to get in a car with a stranger. Lord knows we knew enough not to do that.

[Josh]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sufi]

Mass pike going north. Please.

[Josh]

We got to catch. We got to catch that car. See the girl in the way back? That's my she.

[Elizabeth Banks]

So. Yeah, that one. And then we took a trip on the way to Chicago once via Canada. So we went on the Canadian. It was an amazing trip in Canada, but my father is no longer welcome in Canada and hasn't been for 30 years. Oh, what was wrong? We got into.

[Josh]

This is. This is Mark Mitchell. Mark Mitchell is okay.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yep. Bless him. Mark got into a little car, a mini car accident that he absolutely claims and is probably true. We got rear ended. And I find in a rear ending situation, it's usually the person that hits you that famously.

[Josh]

Right, Famously.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Aren't they supposed to be the person That's.

[Josh]

My dad would always say if, like, if somebody. If you hit somebody from behind, it's your fault. No question.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yes. Like, no questions asked. Anyway, so I remember getting rear ended. I remember the car we were meant to go to. We were in Toronto. We were going to the Toronto Blue Jays game that night, the baseball game. And I had never been to Toronto, but now I know the city fairly well and I know exactly kind of where. We were down by the marina on the waterfront when this accident happened. This car accident happened. And my dad ended up getting a ticket for something. I don't know what. Maybe he was making a left where you weren't allowed to or something. And that's why he got. I don't know exactly what happened. Cause again, I was facing backwards.

[Josh]

Yeah, of course.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I just saw the guy hit us. We were all.

[Josh]

You saw the accident.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I saw it all happen. We were all sitting there. And so my dad gets into this whole tizzy with the police there. And long story short, it was a ticket. He never paid. He was like, just could not. Just did not believe he owed any money to Canada and was never gonna pay this ticket. And then I was like, dad, you know, like, you really can't go to Canada now.

[Josh]

He probably was fine with that.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah. I believe at one point he's like, there might be a warrant out for this. Like, I definitely owe Canada something. And I'm like, okay, well, maybe. Maybe we're not going to Canada.

[Josh]

A lot of actors obviously work there now, and it's probably very good that you're at Banks.

[Elizabeth Banks]

He's never gone back to Canada, that I know of.

[Josh]

Do you. So you, though, had the vantage point being in the way back. Do you feel like what you saw, your dad was at fault?

[Elizabeth Banks]

I really don't know. I just know that the guy hit us and then was, like, really mad about it.

[Josh]

Got it.

[Elizabeth Banks]

The things I remember from that trip. That trip was sort of epic. So we didn't. We did a lot of, like. Like I said, car rides. This one. So many things went sideways. We went to Niagara Falls, which is incredible. And I recommend. I don't think enough. I think people are sleeping on Niagara Falls these days, to be honest.

[Sufi]

Yeah. It comes up a lot on the pod. And everyone's always probably, I will say

[Elizabeth Banks]

yes, a wonder of the world.

[Sufi]

Yep.

[Elizabeth Banks]

That. Made of the mist.

[Sufi]

Made of the mist. People say Canada side.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah. Yeah. You gotta go to the Canada side. Of course, the American side is. It's all just capitalism writ large. They're just trying to sell you stuff. But, man, that. We did Niagara Falls, we did the bed where you put the money in and it jiggles. Like. We did the jiggle bed.

[Josh]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Sufi]

I just thought it was fingers or.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I just thought it was for kids. Now that I'm older, I realize what the jiggle butts are really for.

[Josh]

Although also, as I'm older, I'm like. I don't know if that would make it better.

[Elizabeth Banks]

No, I agree. I agree. For the lady. For the lady.

[Josh]

Oh, interesting. Okay. For the lady. I was looking at it through the wrong. Through the male gaze. Once again, my problem.

[Elizabeth Banks]

That's right. I'm gonna put it into the female gaze. I think it's not bad. So the jiggle bed, I remember. But the thing was, my brother was born at this point, and he was little, and he. Again, the AC barely working in this vehicle, we have all the windows down. We're driving around, and my brother, right before we went through the checkpoint, the border checkpoint into Canada, threw his bottle out the window. Just out the window. And my mom, I remember thinking, she was basically like, I only brought like, two or three bottles, so she's like, I gotta get out, you know, get the bottle. And like. So we pull up to the checkpoint and my mom's like hiking back to try and find this bottle on the road, which I believe she came back empty handed and someone yelled at her to get back in the car. She gets back in the car. My brother has the last bottles. Whatever. He thinks it's the funniest thing in the world that he threw his bottle out the window, then gets a pacifier, immediately throws that out the window. That's gone. Like, it was just one of these really fun trips. Also my dad. This is disgusting. And his family lore though. Cause it happened all the time. My dad has post nasal drip and which I have inherited. But he made a big loogie, spit it out the window on the highway. It came back in the back window and slapped my sister on the face.

[Josh]

Oh my gosh.

[Elizabeth Banks]

The loogie out the window. Boom. Right back in the window. That happened on that trip. The bottle out the window on that trip. The car accident in Toronto on that trip. The jiggle bed on that trip. The Maid of the Mist on that trip. Like, we really loved. We got to see the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a really epically fun trip. And we also went to. In the St. Lawrence river, thousand Islands, which I also highly recommend. Nobody. I feel like I don't know anyone who goes here.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Thousand Islands are all these islands in the St Lawrence river, which is the border between the United States and Canada up there off of Lake Erie. And you can visit little islands there where half the island's in America and half is in Canada. So they have flags on both. Like a house will be there and it will have flags for both countries. And there's a giant castle there that's like the Hearst Castle of this area that we got to tour. And I just remember thinking this was like the most. The coolest notion of like, you're. You're in you. Are you American? Are you Canadian? I just thought it was the coolest thing. And you take a boat trip through all these islands. The Thousand Islands. Anyway, I highly recommend. It's really magical place. Yeah. In the St. Lawrence River.

[Sufi]

Hey. We're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors.

[Josh]

Support comes from Deleteme. Hey, Bashi.

[Sufi]

Hey, Sufi.

[Josh]

Deleteme makes it quick, easy and safe to remove your personal data online at a time. Time when surveillance and data breaches are common enough to make everyone vulnerable. I need to look out for myself, Pasci. I can't have somebody pretending to be Seth Meyers, you know what I mean?

[Sufi]

No.

[Josh]

Being out there in the world trying to sell autographed photos, you know, undercutting my price. You know, I'm trying to sell them $5 a pop and they're like doing it for 450 and then I'll mount all my, you know, my extra 15 bucks a week.

[Sufi]

Yeah, you can't have it, Sufi. You can't have it. Also, you know, delete me. The stuff that they can take off these sort of bad websites, a lot of worse things could happen to you even than that. Identity theft is real. It's a real pain when you have to deal with it. You know, having your name, your address, your phone number, your family members names on the Internet can have real consequences in the real world and it can be a real bad scene. But you can take control of your data and you can keep your private life private by signing up for Deleteme now at a special discount for our listeners, you can get 20% off your Delete Me plan. When you go to JoinDeleteMe.com trips and use promo code trips at checkout, the only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com Trips and enter code TRIP TRIPS at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com trips code trips.

[Josh]

Support comes from Cheers Health. Hey, Bashi.

[Sufi]

Hey, Sufi.

[Josh]

I don't think anybody quite can speak to how over the age of 30 alcohol can affect you the next day than seth Meyers, age 52, who sometimes goes day drinking with celebrities.

[Sufi]

Yeah, it doesn't. The recovery maybe isn't what it once was.

[Josh]

No, it is not what it once was. I will say, even as a young man, I don't think recovery would be particularly easy after a hard day of day drinking. But there's an incredible solution now, and I can speak to its effectiveness. Cheers Restore. If you take Cheers Restore after your last drink or before going to bed, it'll work while you sleep. So you wake up feeling like you drank roughly half the amount. And this is a huge difference. When you cut alcohol intake in half, that is no small thing. Cheers Restore helps you metabolize alcohol more efficiently, supports overall liver health. Dehydration, you think, is why you feel rough, but the real issue is what happens in your brain and liver while you sleep.

[Sufi]

Yeah, this is not for binge drinking. That's not the idea behind Cheers Health. But for example, I went to a wedding recently. It was just a party to celebrate the actual wedding, and I had a flight the next day. I probably had four cocktails. I had three pills from Cheers Health before I went to bed. So did Mackenzie, so did our friend Sarah who was staying over with us. And we all felt great the next morning. And just on four drinks, I would not have felt good. It would have been a rough day on that plane. I might have had a headache, might have had to take some other kinds of pharmaceuticals to make me feel better. But I didn't have to because I took Cheers Restore.

[Josh]

Take Cheers Restore after your last drink or before going to bed and wake up feeling at least 50% better or your money back. For a limited time, our listeners are getting 20% off their entire order by using code [e-mail] just head to cheershealth.com and use code trips for 20% off. After you purchase, they will ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you now streaming Disney invites you to go behind the scenes with Taylor Swift in an exclusive six episode docuseries.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I wanted to give something to the fans that they didn't expect. The only thing left is to close

[Josh]

the book, the end of an era and don't miss Taylor Swift. The Eras Tour. The final show featuring for the first time the tortured poets department, now streaming only on Disney plus now at McDonald's. A McDouble is 250 so you can get your gym gains on or just get lunch for only 2.50. Get more value on the under $3 menu. Limited time only. Prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher for delivery.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Here we go.

[Josh]

Did you have, were your siblings like a 4? I mean, obviously your brother's so much younger with the three girls. Were you a threesome? Were you a trio or did you guys kind of pair off?

[Elizabeth Banks]

My sister Sarah and I are Irish twins. Basically we're 13 months apart.

[Josh]

Got it.

[Elizabeth Banks]

And then my little sister is five years younger and then my brother 11 years younger. So we were kind of in like my sister Sarah and I were like basically, you know, raised nearly like twins. So like did everything together, dressed the same at the holiday, you know, always wearing the same outfits, did the dance classes, the tap dance, you know, recitals together and stuff, played softball together, et cetera.

[Josh]

Would your, would your younger sister say if, if she could say it in secrecy that you guys were good older sisters or bad older sisters?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Well, we're really close now, so my hope is that she would say we were a good older sister. I mean, we're a very, very tight family now, but I'm gonna be honest with you, I barely remember her existence. I would say, you know that time when you're like 12 to 18 when you just become so self involved.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

And so like about your friends and like you're never really home and you're like, you leave, you leave home at 7 in the morning and you're like, you're doing your sports and your activities and I did the play and like it's like I came home like 10 o'. Clock. Like I have no idea. I don't know who her friends were.

[Josh]

Right. I don't know much about 12 year old girls but I know the least interesting thing to them is a seven year old girl.

[Elizabeth Banks]

The least interesting thing in the world is a seven year old girl.

[Josh]

Like that's so funny though that life where you know. And again your kids, it's probably already happening for mine are a little bit younger but like.

[Sufi]

Right.

[Josh]

They just have their own lives and you just don't see them.

[Elizabeth Banks]

And I, I say we just, we had a nanny forever. I'm a working mother, I build a village. So I have great help in my life. And I recently we transitioned to what we now call just like the family assistant. Because I'm like, oh, I just live in a house with four very busy people all of whose schedules need to be coordinated. My kids tell me nothing about what they're doing. Right. Like I'll be like, okay, so we're, and I'm very, I need it to be very organized. Am I on the daily? I'm like, so you're picking him up at 4? And it's like, no, he texted me he's coming home at 7 and I'm like, wait, what's happening? What do you mean? You know, like every day it's just like, oh, actually he's at this other kid's house. I don't know where he is. I never know where my kids, what's happening. They tell me.

[Josh]

And in la it's all, I mean it's all cars. It's all, all cars.

[Elizabeth Banks]

It's all about the pickup and the drop off. My kids don't drive yet and so somebody has to coordinate to get them home at, at some point. And I've actually recently started really letting it go. Like I don't know, they're old, they're, they're like almost six feet tall. Nobody is messing with them. Like they're gonna, if they had to walk four miles they could. Do you know what I mean? Like they know where we live. They'll figure it out. Like, they'll get home. And I kind of am. I've become more accepting of just like, I don't know. That's how I was. Like, you just got home.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Did you. Are they. Are your boys close?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yes, they are. They're really close. Yeah.

[Josh]

Must be the best feeling in the world.

[Elizabeth Banks]

It. It is. They're. They're only 18 and a half months apart. But also, you know, we traveled so much for work, so I would bring. It's like we went and lived in Germany, we went and lived in Ireland. We've lived. So they had to be each other's playmates for so long. They were each other's like, best bud. And then the pandemic was the whole thing. I hope I. Do you remember that, guys? We were locked in our houses, dude.

[Josh]

Yeah, it's crazy. I have like two soft pandemic jokes, like when I do stand up, just about like masks.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Right.

[Josh]

And it's crazy. You really feel the audience be like, oh, right. Like, it's the, like the collective memory loss, which I feel like is part of the coping.

[Elizabeth Banks]

100% is our trauma response. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is like a million people died.

[Josh]

A million people died. It was a. It was a major 18 month disruption. And we're just like, yeah, we're like, isn't that crazy?

[Sufi]

We did play hearts once, Elizabeth.

[Elizabeth Banks]

That's right, we did.

[Josh]

Mid pandemic. We always play hearts.

[Elizabeth Banks]

We played hearts.

[Sufi]

We crossed paths in our lives. But then like Liz Kakowski was like, hey, you play hearts? You know, I'm getting on a zoom to play hearts with.

[Josh]

Oh, you played zoom Hearts?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah. Well, there's a website that you can play hearts on. So my family plays pitch and so I was playing pitch a lot. And Hearts is also on the same site that you can log onto and you can play with people all over.

[Josh]

Is pitch a four person game?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, it's a four person trick taking game like hearts.

[Josh]

And was pitch like a family game when you were a kid?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yes, and is still very much a family game.

[Josh]

Like, so was that your parents and you and your Irish twin were the pitch teams?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yes, my dad and I play against my mom and my sister and by the way, played not that long. My parents are divorced, but we played pitch together last summer, I wanna say. And it was one of the greatest. It was like, it was so much fun. Cause my parents are so competitive. They're also insanely good card players and they've like handed it down to us. So I'm a Very good competitive card player. But I'm not as good as my parents, even. Even to this day. And they were. They were, like, just digging at each other. We were dying, laughing. I mean, we were having the best time, and it was like I was a kid again. It was.

[Josh]

How often are they together? Physically?

[Elizabeth Banks]

They're. They're friendly. So, like, they'll do it when we're all there with the grandkids and stuff. They'll get together. It's not a big.

[Josh]

That's so great that they don't have to sacrifice any of that.

[Elizabeth Banks]

No, no. It's not a big deal.

[Josh]

We were a big hearts family. And I will say, like, the only downside I could think of, the fact that I have three kids is it's gonna be a problem with hearts.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah.

[Josh]

But we have. It's very sad, which is at the end of every hand, our mom forgets all the rules to hearts. What? So it's a little bit. It slows it down a little bit because we have to do it. We have to do it.

[Sufi]

Seth is very, very critical because the teams are me and my father versus,

[Josh]

but for only the last 35 years.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, exactly. By the way, my son made a shoot the moon joke, like, yesterday, and I don't even know what it was in response to, but I'm like, I like that he had that reference ready to go.

[Josh]

So are they. And do you guys play? Do you in your group?

[Elizabeth Banks]

We play. The four of us play. It's a nice round number. I literally just packed it. We're going on spring break, and I just packed the cards and we have a little pad of paper where we keep the score going. We haven't quite shaken out the teams. It's usually me and my oldest and my husband and my youngest, but we'll mix it up a little bit.

[Josh]

So on, like, I should have mixed it up. But then ultimately, we're creatures of habits. I mean, we sat at the same. We had a little. When the first time my wife Alexi saw, like, the table we ate at in the kitchen, she was like, oh, you guys did not build your life. For visitors, it's like a five top. The tiniest little table in the kitchen, and we all ate at. Yeah.

[Sufi]

And like, I don't even know where you'd get another chair from. Yeah.

[Josh]

We were like, oh, yeah. It's like, where do I sit? I'm like, I don't think we. I don't think you do. Oh, no, I think you. There's a later seating for your Breakfast.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I have multiple card tables in my. In my home, because it's, like, not every. We also. We play a lot of cribbage. We play. We're a big game family. We play a lot of. A lot of cards, a lot of cribbage. I have been teaching everyone in my life mahjong. I taught Liz Kakowski mahjong recently. I'm a huge mahjong. My mother plays. My sisters play.

[Josh]

So are you part of the mahjong boom? Was this something you were doing 10 years ago? Because it feels like this is the last year and a half I'm hearing about mahjong.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I am a bit part of the boom. I would say I'm an early to the boom.

[Josh]

Yep. Gotcha.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I've been playing now for a little over three years. So my first card was the early 2023 card. That's how you know how long you've been playing. We just got the 2026 card.

[Josh]

Can I ask what was. What brought. Do you know what the boom was? You know? Cause I remember the poker boom was because of, like, Bravo Celebrity Poker, you know, or whatever. Or the. Or the pook. I shouldn't say the poker boom was because they figured out that camera, and then it was all.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, that's exactly right. Yeah. Yeah.

[Josh]

What was mahjong?

[Elizabeth Banks]

I don't really know. My friend grew up playing it and had wanted to teach us for so long, constantly talking about. And she. I play hearts with her. I had a card game with her every Tuesday night for 10 years. So for all this time I've known her, she's been like, let's learn mahjong. And it's intimidating to learn. I won't deny that. Like, it's there. There is a. It's. There's a barrier to entry when it comes to mahjong. And she finally was like, I'm just gonna bring a teacher over. Like, let's get a group together, and let's just do it. And so she brought a teacher. I think she was playing more in the pandemic. I think the pandemic got a lot of people playing these kinds of games. So bringing it back to that wonderful time, I think was part of the kickoff, the boom. But, yeah, I don't know. So, yeah, we started playing a few years ago and now have, like, a. I have a regular. I have a day group and a night group that I play with.

[Josh]

That's fantastic.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Are there. In your family, when you're playing, are there ever, like, little fights? I know your Parents might take jabs at each other, but do people get upset?

[Elizabeth Banks]

No, it's all good natured. And also the other thing is, like, my parents very rarely make mistakes in cards. Right. So that's the other thing. Like, they're playing. If there's like the best card to play at any given time, they know what they're playing it like, they're not messing up, Right. So it's usually like at one point, my mom lives in a, like, assisted living, but like, you know, kind of fabulous place. And so she's over playing cards with us and she's like, gosh, I've been playing with like, the memory care people, you know, I. I'm not. I haven't been playing that often. And my dad literally goes, oh, and they beat you too. So it's like jokes like that, you know, like, they're fun jabs.

[Josh]

We have, we're. I mean, we have a lot of fun when we play cards. We don't like, you know, beat up on anybody for bad play. But we are also, which I guarantee you are Elizabeth Banks. Nay. Liz Mitchell. Yeah, you are probably. You adhere to the rules of every game.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I do.

[Josh]

Our. My wife's family, the way they play games is just like the loosest adherence to the rules. And it has been. It has been an issue. Cause we're not together that much, both families, but like at Thanksgivings, it's like, let's play like a board game you cannot believe. And again, when we just try to enforce it gently, it is taken as a personal attack. I feel like Josh. I feel like they're still stung by like, what's the spy game?

[Sufi]

Codenames.

[Josh]

Code names.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Code names. Love a code name.

[Josh]

Great game. And there's a lot of like. Like, they do that sort of thing.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Right, right, right. Shut the fuck up. No, one word. One word.

[Sufi]

Yeah, them's the rules.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Them's the rules.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I got banned from playing Settlers of Catan a while ago.

[Josh]

Gotcha.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Because I got really into the negotiating part of it with a friend of mine who's also like a hardcore negotiator, my friend Joe. And essentially all the. My husband and her and the wife, my friend, were like, we shouldn't. You two can't play this together anymore. Like, it's too intense for the rest of us. Like, you know, I'd be like, I need that wheat, and you don't need it, and I'm giving you a break. Like, what do you mean? I mean, we would go 20 minutes of negotiating before someone would like, I

[Josh]

love, by the way, the idea that you're going on spring break and you're packing cards, because that, you know, it's interesting. We. I kind of forget what a big part that was of our family vacations. Josh was like, yeah, to. To, you know, have dinner maybe at some, like, you know, Florida hotel, and then, like, go back to a hotel room and just play cards. And that made us, like, very happy.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, we. We play. My husband and I play gin rummy before, like, we'll go to cocktails. It's our favorite thing to do. So, like, go to the bar, have a cocktail, play gin, wait for the table, get seated, dinner, hang, and then, you know, that's our night. We love it.

[Sufi]

I feel like I saw that in. My wife and I were in Ireland last year for, like, a week before we went to this wedding. But I would see these Irish families in pubs with decks of cards. Like, there would be the traditional music going on, but, like, there was a lot more card playing out in public, and I just think it's great.

[Elizabeth Banks]

You know what's funny, though? Cause I did it in Ireland a lot. We were in London recently in a hotel. We were in the fabulous bar, dressed up. I'm sure I had done, like, Graham Norton or something, all dressed up. We bring. I'm like, I can't wait. I'm gonna have a martini and we're gonna play gin. And. And the waiter came over and said, you can't play cards in here. And we were like, what are you talking about? And he's like, no, it's a weird gam. It's an old gambling law. Like, we don't know. We can't allow gambling. And so. And we're like, well, it's just the two of us. We're just playing gin. And he's like, no, we cannot have cards on the table here.

[Sufi]

Wow.

[Elizabeth Banks]

And I. We were shocked. It was the only time in my life I've been told we can't play cards in the restaurant or gambling law.

[Josh]

We were in Ireland with a couple of our old friends from Amsterdam and our parents playing. What's the other one? The group game. Josh.

[Sufi]

The crew.

[Josh]

The crew. Fantastic. Family game.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I don't know.

[Sufi]

The crew is a cooperative trick taking game. There are two versions of it. There's a space one and an underwater one. The underwater one has maybe fixed some things that were. It's built on the first one, but

[Josh]

it's a great game.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I love getting a new game. Okay.

[Josh]

You're gonna love it. It's Such a fun four person game. See, I think you can. Can you play with six too, maybe, or. No, it's a. You could play with five, but it's just so fun. But there is this thing where you have to, you know when you're with a bunch of people, when you're on a trip playing cards, it's also like, you need to like, be with people who understand. Like. So we're. We'll chat in between hands.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, exactly.

[Josh]

But like, we can't. I can't play hearts where I'm like, ostensibly card trick counting and then like. And that's also a problem with my

[Elizabeth Banks]

mom, the crew and your mom.

[Josh]

Yeah, well, mom. Well, she has so many questions. Like, she has to ask questions all the time. So.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, I. I'm a big card counter too. I mean, that's how you win a card. You have to know what. Yeah. What's already out.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

What Were there. Did you ever get all Mitchells together? Were there ever any big family reunions?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Guys, we have so many reunions. It's really. There's one coming up in Texas that I probably won't be able to go to. It's gonna be one of the first ones I've missed. We do it every two to three years. We were doing it every three years and then we've kind of upped it to two because the older generation's getting up there and we wanna, you know, we like getting together as much as we can while they're all still here. That's my dad's side. So we have a Mitchell family reunion. And then I have a Howard family reunion on my mom's side every summer on Cape Cod. Every summer on Cape Cod.

[Josh]

Where. Whereabouts in Cape Cod are you guys?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Hyannis is where my aunt is. Where we had our, like, we would always go the little cottage every summer.

[Josh]

Fantastic.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Based in Hyannis. Yeah. Right around the corner from the fairies.

[Josh]

Did you. Did you newing did when you got married? Was it New England?

[Elizabeth Banks]

I got married in LA in an attempt to have less family come because I was paying for the wedding myself. And they all came. If you put out a sign that says free liquor and a party, they're all showing up. It turns out it also was like people went to Disneyland, I remember. You know, it was like people really made like a whole trip out of it, which was unexpected. And like, My wedding was 188 people, and I want to say 120 was my family. Like, my husband's friends and family were much like a Maybe a quarter or a third.

[Josh]

Have you. Do you think, based on that, have you folded your husband. Has your husband Max folded more into your family than obviously the other way around?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Well, his family's just much smaller and they're much. And they're more spread out and they're so. My family is just like, so big. I mean, I think he has. He has cousins I've never met, for instance, and that's just not. He had. I have cousins he can't name when he sees them.

[Josh]

I have. I mean, so many of. I think, you know, there's cousins of ours I haven't seen in years.

[Sufi]

Yeah, no, for sure.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah.

[Josh]

And Alexei's never met them. Yeah, likely never will.

[Elizabeth Banks]

He has cousins I've never met, so. And never will. Whatever. We'll see.

[Sufi]

And what goes down at either of these family reunions, if you're be at the Cape or the Mitchell ones, is there sort of a. Is there a big group activity? Is it kind of a barbecue kind of a thing? What's the.

[Elizabeth Banks]

There's always. Well, you know, the first thing is there's. I will say technology has made family reunion planning so much easier and better these days. It is kind of wild to just send out like a Google link to everybody. Just be like, what's your T shirt size? And like, you know, so. Cause it's always about, you gotta have that group photo with everybody wearing the same shirt. You know, no matter what, there's always a logo. We're always, like, making the logos nowadays. How it works in my dad's family is our generation. All the cousins, we basically each of the eight, we call them the great eight. Each family has to plan it right in, wherever they want to do it. So it goes through the family. And so when it was my siblings, me and my siblings turned to host. We hosted it in Utah. We did. We had a logo. We gotta get cups. You gotta get beer koozies. You gotta get, you know, all the merch for the reunion. And it's usually like we. We try and keep it cost effective for everybody. We want everybody able to come and have fun. So it's a lot of, like, state parks and like, get a pavilion in the state park and put on, you know, a Bring your own. Everybody's got their coolers and their whatever, and we're like buying, you know, frozen burgers at Costco and doing that. We keep it, like, really just like, very relaxed. And then there's usually a big activity. So in Utah, we did a giant river float one day, which was just so fun. I mean, my 80 year old aunt was just like out in a tube. Like my dad was just tubing down a river in his 70s, you know. Um, it was pretty fun. It was really.

[Josh]

Do your boys get excited about a giant Mitchell family?

[Elizabeth Banks]

They do. I think there's enough kids. Like my generation has so many kids now that they all know, you know, it's really fun. I mean, I just was back in Massachusetts. I. I'm an investor in the Boston Legacy NWSL team. Oh, fantastic. The women's soccer team that is just, that's just starting. We literally just had our home opener at Gillette Stadium and I got a suite and I had like 46 people come and I'm related to all of them. Do you know what I mean? Like the whole. If we, if there's a chance to get together, like we do it, we really try to take it. We really all love hanging out with each other. It's really fun. We grew up together also.

[Josh]

You have. I mean, that's a credit to you for delivering a pretty cool place to hang out.

[Elizabeth Banks]

It was a cool. It was a fun. It was a fun day. Yeah. Still, still just burgers. Still just maybe Costco burgers, but it was.

[Josh]

This is the inaugural season for the season.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Inaugural season, yes. They and Denver are the two new expansion teams in the NWSL.

[Josh]

That's fantastic. How many teams are there in the NWSL now?

[Elizabeth Banks]

There are 16 or 17 and there are about to be two more.

[Josh]

That's fantastic.

[Elizabeth Banks]

It's really cool. And I think it's. Boston, I think, is really primed currently to welcome women's sports. I mean, obviously such a storied title town. I mean, we have these incredible teams and they've won a lot of championships and you know, and the places where they play, Fenway and the Garden, you know, these are storied places. And I feel like the soccer team. There's no other women's team. Professional women's team. We have a, we have women's professional hockey that I think the Olympics just like really help put on the map, which is going to be incredible. And that's going to grow too. But in terms of growth, the NWSL is doing an amazing job and I think Boston is really primed to welcome them. And we're building a stadium simply for the team, White Stadium down in Franklin park, which is sort of Jamaica Plain by the way, where my great grandparents grew up, which is really cool. So I'm excited for that as well. It's at the end of the Greenway in Boston.

[Sufi]

Amazing.

[Josh]

I'm very excited about your show with Matthew.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yes. The miniature wife coming out on Peacock April 9th.

[Josh]

April 9th. I'm very excited. When Peacock makes shows.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Peacock's making shows.

[Josh]

It's really exciting.

[Elizabeth Banks]

People just watched the burbs was just out and mini wife is. I mean, they're really. They're doing it. Yeah, I agree. Really exciting.

[Josh]

We also had. We just had Samara Weaving on the show.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yes.

[Josh]

And her husband just. I just wanted to use her husband as a reason to shout out Cocaine Bear.

[Elizabeth Banks]

One more. Yes. Her husband, Jimmy. Samara Weaving's husband Jimmy wrote Cocaine Bear, which we. I love talking about.

[Josh]

I mean, it does. I mean, I feel like while we're talking about family trips, it does not encourage camping.

[Elizabeth Banks]

It. Not particularly. Well, look, I. That was a really particular case.

[Josh]

Yeah. What are the chances?

[Sufi]

What are the circumstances? Yeah. A bunch of cocaine's gonna fall out in the woods. Out of.

[Elizabeth Banks]

It's unlikely. It's unlikely.

[Josh]

But I also just wanted to say you've had such a. It's. It's such a cool career to follow, and the things you do are. I mean, to. And then to find out you're also. You have your hands on an inaugural Boston women's soccer team is, of course, makes perfect sense based on everything else you've done.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I really love Massachusetts. Like I said, it's my roots, and I really wanted to build a legacy there. I mean, I. I, like, enjoy living in California, but again, I have no family here. Like, my husband and I have really had to, like, build the whole village here, and it's lovely. But I think people forget, too, when you're an actor in la, you rarely work here unless you're on a television show that shoots here, which is rarer and rarer these days. You spend half your life out and about. At one point, my son had lived more time in Louisiana than anywhere else in the world. He was basically a citizen of Louisiana. So we made the Pitch Perfect movies there, and that's where he was. Basically. I had him on my hip, like, you know, the first movies, and then was doing Hunger Games and making those in North Carolina and, like, Atlanta. And so, I mean, we were never really here. So it's interesting when people are like, aren't you from there? I'm like, well, my kids are from here, but I'm not from here.

[Josh]

You know, I've been talking to some Massachusetts people lately who are still pretty mad about you changing your name, but they do feel like you're slowly working your Way back.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Thank you.

[Josh]

They feel like this sock. They said that you're, like, 40% back.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Thank you. I'm trying to make up for it. If the Boston Globe will print anything nice about me, that will go a long way towards my reputation.

[Josh]

Means the most to my dad, the amount he sends me. If the Globe says something nice. If Matthew Gilbert says something nice. Yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, that's it. Are you in the Globe?

[Josh]

We have to. Before we let you go, though, you have to answer Josh's speed round question.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Oh, gosh. Okay.

[Sufi]

Okay.

[Josh]

There you go. You'll be fine.

[Sufi]

You're great. You can only pick one of these. Is your ideal vacation relaxing adventurous, or educational Relaxing.

[Elizabeth Banks]

But I'm in a fight about this with my husband currently, because I just want to go to beaches. And he literally just put a mandate down, no more beaches.

[Josh]

Oh, my God.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Because he's worried that our kids are getting too. Like, we're not going to have them much longer, which he's right about. And, like, we've not done, like, the cities of Europe. Like, we've not done Rome. You know what I mean? Like, he's like, we gotta go take them to places where they learn educational stuff. Like, take them to museums. And I'm like, I just wanna do nothing. So lie around, you know?

[Josh]

But no, his instincts are right. Like, on paper. On paper. But, like, I just don't think, like, your kids are gonna learn anything.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Okay. I'm not gonna tell him that you sided with him.

[Josh]

No, no, I didn't. I think it, like, it sounds good. And then your kids are like, I don't wanna be it.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah. They don't wanna walk around all day.

[Josh]

And that' for aye.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Aye. Aye.

[Sufi]

I'm confident there are some hotels in Rome that have, like, beautiful pools. And you could just hang there and be like, go show them the stuff you want them to see. I'll be here.

[Josh]

I'm going to say, I don't know if they do. I don't think Europe is, like. I don't think European cities have good pools.

[Sufi]

Well, I bet there's. I'm saying there's one. I bet there's.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Maybe I. I'm going to seek it out, is the point.

[Josh]

But I'll tell you this. It ain't heated, and there's three weird guys in it right now, and they're gonna be in it later.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Banana hammocks.

[Sufi]

Yeah, exactly. What is your favorite means of transportation?

[Elizabeth Banks]

My favorite means of transportation is gross. I obviously love any private jet I can get my hands on.

[Josh]

Okay.

[Elizabeth Banks]

That Is rare, rare, rare. So I would say the train. I'm dying to go on the Orient Express.

[Josh]

Oh, that's.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yeah, I really want to do it.

[Sufi]

If you could take a vacation with any family, alive or dead, real or fictional, other than your own family, what family would you like to take a vacation with?

[Elizabeth Banks]

I shot a film once on a boat on a beautiful yacht off of Malta, and the guest book had the McCartneys in it, Paul, and like, the whole family. And to this day, I was like, man, that would have been a really nice way to spend a week of my life.

[Josh]

I think it's a vibe to travel.

[Elizabeth Banks]

That would have been a fun, fun vibe. So probably that. Yeah.

[Sufi]

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one member of your family, who would it be?

[Elizabeth Banks]

My dog, Saucer.

[Sufi]

Great. What kind of dog?

[Josh]

No hesitation.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Saucer is a schnoodle, but he's got just enough terrier hound in him, I think that he would catch me some food. Right?

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I think he would help me get fed and he would just be. I think he would be a help.

[Josh]

I like that you're trying to frame this as anything other than you like him the most.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I just. It's a survival thing. I really.

[Josh]

It's not about anything but survival. The rest of my family.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Oh, he'll just help me survive. Yeah.

[Sufi]

What is your dream destination for a family vacation?

[Elizabeth Banks]

I really want to go on safari. I've never been on safari. I really want to go safari in Africa. Big time.

[Sufi]

You are from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. If you had to get more families to come visit Pitchfield, what would you tell them about the town?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Pittsfield? I would say tons of arts organizations in Pittsfield. There's so much to do and see in terms of Tanglewood and Jacob's Pillow and Berkshire Theatre Festival. The summer is glorious there. So I really love being in there in the summer. My kids go to camp back east in the Berkshires, and it's. Because in the summer, it's like you're at camp, like, you know, you can kayak, and it's just so lovely. So that's my. That's the sell.

[Sufi]

Yep. And then Seth has our final questions.

[Josh]

Elizabeth, have you been to the Grand Canyon?

[Elizabeth Banks]

I have.

[Josh]

And was it worth it?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Yes, it's so worth it. Yeah.

[Josh]

But given the choice, if you were talking to somebody and they're like, I can either go to Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon, where should I go?

[Elizabeth Banks]

Niagara Falls, I think.

[Josh]

Thank you.

[Sufi]

You.

[Josh]

Because it's just. You get it. You can do it. In two hours.

[Elizabeth Banks]

I. The. The Grand Canyon. I also think about you got to go to Zion and you got to go to Arch. You know, there's so many. There's almost two. You need a whole week. Like, you need to go to all. There's so many places to go. And I. There's some that I haven't been to and some that I have. And I, I. And also then you've got Yellowstone and Yosemite.

[Josh]

Hey, I'm sold. I'm. I'll see you in Niagara Falls.

[Elizabeth Banks]

So Niagara Falls, you're like, you did it. You can do it in a couple hours. You go on the Maid of the Mist, and you're like your brain is blown out of your head.

[Josh]

Perfect. This has been delightful. So nice to see you. Love to you and your family.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Thanks, guys. It's so fun to see you guys too. And anytime you want to play online Hearts, you know where I am.

[Sufi]

Yeah. And check out the crew. Also, Skull. I don't know if you've played Skull. Skull is my new favorite game that's come out of nowhere.

[Josh]

Okay.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Skull. Yeah, I'm into it.

[Sufi]

Yeah. All right. Thank you.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Bye, guys.

[Josh]

Bye.

[Sufi]

Bye.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Bye.

[Miles Brothers (Host/Narrator)]

Family trips with the Miles brothers.

[Elizabeth Banks]

Family trips with the my brothers. Here comes.

[Miles Brothers (Host/Narrator)]

Gotta give thanks to Elizabeth Banks. Showed up to the podcast with stories. Her parents divorced but it's not a bad sitch. They're still trading playful mobs with they play pig. Station wagon in the way back Loves the Estella dinner time on them track visiting family. One time coming home from Chicago, you know it started to snow so a little Elizabeth Banks jumped off a train. Conductors said they were doing them a favor. First went the Banks, then went her dad. Mama had to throw out the baby. Whoa. Probably broke laws. A train didn't pause. Had to get home so they could meet Santa Claus. Only option for the little stations cause if and they stopped wouldn't get going again. Her little sis was like she didn't exist. One time she got left on the mask piece. The car drove away. Elizabeth waved. Mom was wicked panicked but she was okay. Lots to discuss bout their Canada trip. Dad got a ticket but he never paid it. Blue jays when the thousand islands dad spit out the window. It just came back in low hit her sister's head. It got those jiggly beds brother chucking things out on the road. Niagara Falls, car accident. How's it your fault when you get rerended? Did a movie, found out somebody had her exact name in the screen actors Guild. So she changed her name to Elizabeth banks. But when things go sideways, Liz Mitchell still gets the blame. When things go sideways, Liz Mitchell still gets the blame.