By Andrew Sanford | TV | February 27, 2023 |
By Andrew Sanford | TV | February 27, 2023 |
I was raised Catholic in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is a city in Western Massachusetts that does not get mentioned often outside of its own city limits. Being a young Catholic was difficult, primarily because I did not care. Early in my days as a Catholic, I noticed some hypocrisy (GASP) that led me down a road to self-discovery that would remove religion from my life. But when I was in it, I was in it. I was an altar boy, performed in the Christmas pageants, got confirmed, and lied during confession. So did Elizabeth Banks!
Banks, hot off the success of Cocaine Bear, dropped by Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend this week. During her interview, they touched on her religious beliefs. Conan points out that he’s very familiar with how she was raised, as his upbringing was similar. Specifically, they were both raised Catholic in Massachusetts (hey, me too). Elizabeth then reveals that she and her friends would lie during confession. That way, they didn’t have to say anything embarrassing to the priest. Clever stuff, but something else piques my interest.
I have long known that Banks and I were born in the same city. Until today, I never realized we may have had some overlap. While she left in the early ’90s, I was born in ‘89. We likely never crossed paths (I was a home baby), as my family moved several years after I was born … but then we moved back. I spent most of my early years there, including attending a Catholic Church.
You can throw a rock in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and hit a Catholic church, so it’s unlikely we went to the same one. However, I like to believe that Elizabeth Banks and I lied to the same priest. That will be my headcanon going forward.