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Filming a movie on the ledge of a building 21 stories above the ground would be a deal breaker for most actors. But for the thrill-seeking actress Elizabeth Banks, the promise of shooting in the air sealed the deal. “It’s an easy thing to fake, but audiences are very savvy,” said Banks during a roundtable in Boston to promote her high-altitude thriller, Man on a Ledge, “Also, it’s a gift to the actors, because we want to act, not wonder in front of a green screen what it would be like to stand up that high with the wind-blowing. [We shot] in November freezing our asses off; my hands were turning blue.”

Last seen in Our Idiot Brother and 30 Rock, the actress mostly known for comedy is once again showing audiences what other genres she can handle, playing a New York Police Negotiator tasked with getting a jumper (Avatar and Clash of the Titans star Sam Worthington) off of the ledge of the famed Roosevelt Hotel. But don’t let Man on a Ledge’s blatantly self-explanatory title fool you, as unclear motives and multiple subplots (including a heist) play parallel leading up to a twisty conclusion.

In this interview, Banks talks about her biggest fear, preparing with negotiators, Alec Baldwin, and of course, her role in the upcoming The Hunger Games.

What about Man on a Ledge made you go, “This is something that I have to be involved in”?

Elizabeth Banks: There were a lot of reasons to do this movie. I do like movies that tell you what’s going on right from the get-go, and this was one of them. I really liked the idea of not playing someone’s wife or girlfriend (laughs); I really liked the idea of chasing bad guys with a gun and doing stunts.

You were in The Next Three Days, where you were on the opposite side of the law, playing someone who was injusticed like Sam Worthington’s character here. So what about this theme attracts you?

EB: Everyone usually asks me if I am afraid of heights, but I am truly afraid of being wrongly imprisoned (laughs). I find that if you ever do jury duty, you should not trust the system. I have an irrational fear of the police plucking me out of my home and sending me into jail telling me that someone fingered me out of a lineup or something, I don’t know (laughs); I become a scapegoat in an accident. I’m a real goody two shoes, I don’t cross against the “Don’t Walk” sign. So I am very interested in this theme and I think everyone loves justice.

How do you prepare for your role which is essentially dialogue-driven?

EB: I played this [New York Police] negotiator, so I met with negotiators, and a lot of what’s in the movie came from my conversations, especially with this one woman detective from Staten Island. …She was very girly and had long hair and wore a cute suit and had a nice purse that she carried her piece in and was just like a woman not trying to play a guy on the police force; she was very feminine. It was important to me not to be tough, because I think it is just clichéd. One of the things she told me was “Jumpers jump,” that’s their motto, meaning that if you want to off yourself you go to the top of the building and jump. If you’re still standing there by the time I pull my pants on, get in the taxi, get a coffee, and step to the window, hopefully your rational brain has taken over and you want to be helped. …

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