Elizabeth Banks Defends Scene Showing 12-Year-Olds Doing Drugs In New ‘Cocaine Bear’ Movie

 There’s been a lot of hype leading up to the release of the new Elizabeth Banks film, “Cocaine Bear,” and now the director is addressing one potentially sensitive scene featuring kids doing hard drugs.

The 48-year-old star discussed her decision to include the scene during an interview with Variety, admitting it was “controversial” yet necessary for the script.

“It was definitely controversial. There were conversations about, ‘should we age up these characters?’ We all kind of held hands and we were like, ‘Guys, they’ve got to be 12.’ It’s their innocence being tested,” she said. “That’s what was interesting to me about that scene.”

Producer Christopher Miller agreed, saying their inclusion of 12-year-olds was intentional, 

“It’s the naïveté of the kids that makes it okay. It’s what makes it so tense and funny. It doesn’t work if they’re teenagers,” he said. “It has to be that age where you don’t know anything, but you want to pretend like you do.”

Moviegoers are hyped for the upcoming release of “Cocaine Bear.” The movie is based on the true story of a 175-pound black bear that allegedly died of an overdose after ingesting cocaine that was reportedly thrown out of a plane by a convicted drug smuggler in 1985. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the bear was found in northern Georgia surrounded by 40 open plastic containers that contained traces of cocaine.

The film will take a lot of creative liberty, depicting the bear going on a wild rampage through a nearby town while hunting for more cocaine. This original and unexpected premise has potential viewers excited to see something new. Banks told the publication she wanted to make a “muscular and masculine” movie and “break down some of the mythology around what kinds of movies women are interested in making.”

Banks said she insisted on keeping the title provocative to entice more viewers. “I lived through [the 2008 comedy] ‘Zach and Miri Make a Porno,’ and the title was a problem,” she said. “But I think ‘Zach and Miri Make a Porno’ now would be like, ‘Whatever.’ I don’t really think anyone would even shy away from it. Because words don’t matter anymore. Words really don’t matter anymore.”

The actress also told Variety she has never personally tried cocaine because she’s a “goody two shoes.”

“Cocaine Bear” premieres in theaters on February 24.