Elizabeth Banks Reveals What She’s Most Thankful for This Holiday Season

With a directorial debut (Pitch Perfect 2) and two epic role reprisals (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2), Elizabeth Banks had a lot to be excited about in 2015. But it’s one of her meatier, more complex performances—as Melinda Ledbetter, wife and manager of singer-songwriter Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys—that she’s most thankful for. “I’m really appreciative that [Melinda] gave me a bit of her life to play onscreen,” Banks recently told InStyle over the phone. “I loved being a part of her husband’s legacy and having the chance to reflect on his music.”

This holiday season, the actress-director has teamed up with American Greetings to make her gratitude known for a good cause. From now through Jan. 1, the greeting card company's site is offering the #ThankList: an online portal where users can create a short video or craft a message to thank someone that’s important to them. For every #ThankList posted on social media, American Greetings will donate $1 to United Way to help prevent worldwide hunger. “We’re so stuck in our phones and there's so much negative surrounding us all the time,” adds Banks. “This is an easy way to make the world a more thoughtful and caring place.”