Claim: Elizabeth Banks worked with writer Michael Showalter.

Elizabeth Irene Banks -LRB- née Mitchell ; February 10 , 1974 -RRB- is an American actress , director , and producer . Banks made her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy -LRB- 1998 -RRB- , and is known for her roles in such films as Wet Hot American Summer -LRB- 2001 -RRB- , Sam Raimi 's Spider-Man trilogy -LRB- 2002 -- 2007 -RRB- , Seabiscuit -LRB- 2003 -RRB- , The 40-Year-Old Virgin -LRB- 2005 -RRB- , Zack and Miri Make a Porno -LRB- 2008 -RRB- , Role Models -LRB- 2008 -RRB- , The Next Three Days -LRB- 2010 -RRB- , Pitch Perfect -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , The Lego Movie -LRB- 2014 -RRB- , and The Hunger Games film series -LRB- 2012 -- 2015 -RRB- . In 2014 , she portrayed Melinda Ledbetter , the girlfriend and later wife of the Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson , in Bill Pohlad 's film Love & Mercy and made her directorial debut with Pitch Perfect 2 , whose $ 69M opening weekend gross set a record for a first-time director .   On television , Banks had a recurring role as Avery Jessup on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock , which garnered her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations . She also had recurring roles on the comedy series Scrubs and Modern Family , the latter of which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination . In 2015 , she reprised her role as Lindsay in Wet Hot American Summer for the Netflix miniseries Wet Hot American Summer : First Day of Camp .   , Box Office Mojo ranked Banks as the 32nd-highest grossing actor of all time , and the sixth-highest grossing female actor .