Elizabeth Banks noticed my blue and lemon Amalfi Coast print phone case before we even started the interview and she leaned in to look at it properly, telling me how much she loved it, before laughing and pulling out her own phone to show me hers. She mentioned she never changes her case, then turned it around so I could see the beautiful custom Archer Roose design, covered in tiny illustrated wine cans. That small, unplanned moment immediately eased us into the interview and set a relaxed tone for everything that followed.
On Archer Roose
Elizabeth was in town to introduce the city to Archer Roose, the luxury canned wine brand she co-owns and leads as Chief Creative Officer. Dressed in a vibrant bubble gum pink power suit, colours that perfectly matched one of exquisitely designed Archer Roose cans, she is every bit the multi-hyphenate entrepreneur.
During her first-ever visit to Dubai, I sat down with the actress and producer to discuss her mission to democratise luxury wine, the surprising physical challenges she faces on film sets and why she’s falling for the UAE.
While the “wine in a can” category has exploded recently, Elizabeth is quick to point out that for Archer Roose, it’s never just been about following the latest trends but about solving problems.
“We want people to drink their way to a better planet,” she explains, noting that aluminium is infinitely more recyclable than glass. In fact, she points out that roughly 70% of aluminium in circulation has been around for over 50 years.
The brand’s mascot, a woman riding a moose, represents a “totally transparent drink experience,” with the wine’s origin and practices printed directly on the can. For a city like Dubai, where hospitality lives poolside and on yachts, the practicality of wine in a can is obvious.
“There’s no danger of being careful with your drink. Nothing’s breaking,” she told me. “You can stand in the pool with it or take it anywhere with you it really just feels like a way to take a drink experience wherever you want to go”.
On Elizabeth’s First Visit to Dubai
This trip marks Elizabeth’s introduction to the Emirates. Staying at Ciel, the world’s tallest hotel, she seems genuinely impressed by the local hospitality.
“I have to say my favourite thing so far about Dubai is the people. Everyone has been so friendly. The city feels very diverse, very global.”
From breakfast at Rizen to dinner at Tattu, her culinary introduction to the city has been, in her words, “incredible”. Even the notoriously stressful experience of an international airport earned praise by her for being “family-friendly and so easy”.
On Her Acting Career
We couldn’t talk to the woman behind The Hunger Games’ Effie Trinket without diving into her most gruelling transformations for the screen. While Effie required a four-hour daily routine of lashes and wigs, it wasn’t her most difficult role. That title goes to Rita Repulsa in Power Rangers.
“Rita Repulsa had us completely transforming my skin and the structure of my face,” she recalls. The process often involved six hours in the makeup chair and two hours to remove the prosthetics at the end of the day.
“I was practically blind half the time,” she says, referring to the special lenses she had to wear despite never having worn glasses or contacts before. Combined with wire work and heavy stunts while wearing a full fake skin bodysuit, it remains the most physically demanding role of her career.
By the time we wrapped up what felt like more of a friendly conversation than an interview, it felt like we’d covered a lot from Archer Roose to acting, travel and first impressions of a city that was still unfolding for her. On her first visit, Dubai seemed to greet her with the same openness she brought into the room during our chat.
