Anna Kendrick feels that she doesn’t do the choreography well, when the camera is on her
Anna Kendrick dons many hats, she is an actress as well as a skilled singer who began her career as a child actor in theater productions. Pitch Perfect was not her first musical as she has worked in a Broadway musical High Society in 1998, that earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She even made her film debut in the musical comedy Camp. Kendrick gets candid about her latest release Pitch Perfect 3
Were you looking forward to returning to this role and to the female acappella group known as The BellasIJ
Yes, I think it was interesting to see them out of school and at that point in their lives where they are kind of thrust into the world with no protection which is an interesting moment in anybody’s life. Your first reaction is. “I’m just out of school.” and then one start asking themselves things like, “Am I supposed to be an adult nowIJ” So, I knew it would be interesting to see how these particular group of misfits handle the real world.
The original Pitch Perfect was a small movie that ended up being a worldwide success, and now you have completed the third film of the series. What do you attribute that success toIJ
I think it all starts with Kay Cannon’s writing. Her script for the first movie was so funny and subversive, with a special bite to it. I think that was the magic ingredient.
It all started for The Bellas competing for a college acappella competition, and soon they won the World Championship and became hugely popular. But now that part of their lives has ended and they have to face the reality. Is it trueIJ
Yes, this movie is about us being in the real world, until we kind of retreat back to The Bellas and go on a US tour because we don’t want to deal with being real-life adults. And I think that’s something many people can relate to. At least I do.
Where is Beca in her life at the beginning of Pitch Perfect 3 and is she still living with Fat AmyIJ
Beca is working for a music producer she doesn’t care for, so she kind of impulsively quits her job and throws herself into being a Bella again. Yes, she is still living with her and that’s probably because Beca is the only one that can put up with Fat Amy’s terrible habits. Beca is a nurturing roommate, and even though Fat Amy can be brash one can really buy that we are good friends. So, even in the scenes where we are making fun of each other there is an element of sweetness to them.
Does Rebel Wilson returns to the hilarious roleIJ
What’s great about Rebel is that she is unapologetically smart and professional. When the cameras are rolling she just turns into this fountain of comedic genius playing Fat Amy. But, she is not one of those actors that are on all the time, so it's really interesting to see how someone who is serious can also have that sort of insanity inside her
And what do you think Brittany Snow brings to ChloeIJ
First of all, Brittany is as sweet as pie in real life. And she brings this insane energy to the character that is fun to watch. I love the moments when she gets so emotional and goes from 0 to 100 in a second.
Anna Camp also plays Aubrey again, a character that clashed with Beca in the first movie until they figured out a way to get along.
Actually, it’s funny because in this third movie there is a moment where Aubrey is telling us all to go and do something while I echo that distinct energy of hers, which puts a smile on our faces because I think both Anna and I realised that there was a real fun to our relationship at this point. We are equals now and both have learned to love those aspects of our characters that were what they initially hated about each other.
The first day on set, did you all easily reconnect as if you had just finished shooting the previous movieIJ
like with old friends, the moment we get together everything falls into place as if no time has passed at all.
What do you enjoy about portraying BecaIJ She must be fun to play.
She is really fun because in some ways Beca is kind of the straight man in the group, as everybody else’s character is quirkier. At the same time she never feels boring because she is so savvy. So, Beca is at her funniest when she encounters absurd people. Her reactions to Chloe, Aubrey or Fat Amy are always fun because she gets to point out the absurdity of the situations they are in, which include but are not limited to the acappella group situations. In that sense it’s nice to be the person who says, “Why are you all stressed outIJ” I like that Beca is somewhat of a normal person dropped into all that craziness.
A new director has stepped in for the third movie of the series. How was your experience working with Trish SieIJ
That she is an absolute dream! We were very lucky to have Trish because this movie had so much going on. Apart from the music and the dances it also had action and all these new characters. I don’t think anybody else could have handled it. Trish was just very positive and had so much energy on set. And in a way she was a fan of the movie and loved what we each brought to our roles. She was very encouraging and warm, and such a great leader to have in that environment.