Ms. Banks, since the shooting of "Call Jane" in 2021, the issue of abortion has once again experienced a new urgency, not least in the United States.

Do you now see the film, which actually tells a story from the 1960s, in a completely new light?

Yes and no.

Of course, the political developments surrounding the topic, which unfortunately did not come as a surprise but nevertheless came unexpectedly quickly, show how relevant this story and the debate on the right to abortion still are today.

But at the same time, we never saw Call Jane as an abortion film.

For us it was always a story about a community of women coming together and fighting for a cause.

And the story of my character Joy, who at the age of 40 has to find out what life's work still lies ahead of her and what positive things she can learn from her own experiences.

These aspects of the film should actually be understandable for every audience, no matter what socio-political environment it is in.

Maybe "Call Jane" is now seen as a political film, which sometimes puts audiences off a bit, right?

Oh, you know, when you make a film that deals with abortion, among other things, it is inevitably seen as political.

Of course there will be people who are afraid of contact with it.

You can't let that stop you.

Especially since the fact that women have directed, written the screenplay and played the leading role is usually enough to politicize a film.

Like everything we do automatically has a feminist purpose.

Even if our main goal is to entertain the audience with a great story.

There's a bit of frustration in there.

I don't mind if you check art for political relevance.

But lately I've actually sometimes found it tedious how one-sidedly the media position something like this.

The way our work is reported on is almost all about clicks and headlines.

I've been doing this job for 25 years, it's my life and I devote all my energy and passion to it.

But all that seems to matter today is the fact that I'm a woman in a male-dominated industry.

It's similar for people of color or queer people.

“Being different” often determines every single aspect of how our work is perceived.

There seems to be no escaping the white patriarchy in this regard.

Let's get back to the film Call Jane, which is based on true events.

Did you meet with women who were there at the time to prepare?

No, I haven't spoken to any of the Janes.

Our screenplay was well researched, and we were also dealing with fictional characters.

But of course you feel a special responsibility when real events serve as a template.

Especially with such extraordinary and important women.

So it was special for me when, after our Sundance premiere, Heather Booth, who was one of the original Janes, joined our question and answer session.

She saw our film as a great honor for herself and her fellow campaigners, and it made me happy to hear that we did justice to these pioneers and their work.

Compared to other films on the subject, was there anything you were dying to avoid with Call Jane?

Right from the start, I made sure that my character Joy didn't cry.

I know many women who didn't cry after an abortion but came home and had a cocktail.

Who were glad that they had access to decent, woman-friendly health care and could choose their own direction in life.

Of course, an abortion can be a difficult thing for a woman, which entails complicated feelings.

For many, however, it is also a very positive decision.

98 percent of all women do not regret it afterwards.

And that's especially true for Joy, after all she would probably have died if she hadn't had the abortion.

At that moment she took control of a situation in which she initially had no idea

You have also had great success as a director.

Did you initially consider directing the film yourself?

No, not in this case.

The role itself required all of my attention.

Directing is damn hard work, there isn't much capacity left for other things.

That's why I'd much rather have someone else do that job on Call Jane.

And I was extremely happy when we found Phyllis Nagy.

Because it was important that someone take the helm with the right vision of what this film could be and who it would reach.

There was no doubt about her that she takes a genuine approach to the subject and has the same intentions as the authors and myself.

As an actress, there's nothing better than a director to pull in the same direction with.

Will you continue to be in acting alongside directing, producing, a podcast and a TV game show?

But of course.

Acting is my first great love.

And of all my jobs, she's the one I care about the most.