Anna Kendrick is an American actress who won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical High Society in 1998. After making her film debut in 2003 with Camp, she rose to prominence with the 2008 adolescent smash Twilight, before becoming the star of another franchise with the release of Pitch Perfect in 2012. Kendrick is best known for her humorous parts, but she has also appeared in the films Up in the Air, Into the Woods, and A Simple Favor.
Early Life
Anna Cooke Kendrick was born in Portland, Maine on August 9, 1985. She began her professional career before she was a teenager, landing a prominent part in the 1998 Broadway revival of High Society, which earned her Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations.
Film & TV Career
‘Camp,’ ‘Rocket Science’
Kendrick made her film debut in 2003 with Camp, a comedy about a songwriter who works at a summer musical theater program for kids. In the indie coming-of-age comedy Rocket Science, she plays a popular girl and excellent debater who entices a stuttering lad to join the debate squad. She also had the opportunity to exhibit her vocal abilities on television when she appeared on Viva Laughlin, a musical drama that lasted barely a few episodes.
‘Twilight’ Franchise
Kendrick became part of the international frenzy around Stephenie Meyer’s teenage vampire novels with a supporting role in Twilight (2008). She portrayed Bella (Kristen Stewart), a girl who falls in love with a vampire named Edward (Robert Pattinson). Kendrick reprised her role in the sequels New Moon (2009), Eclipse (2010), and Breaking Dawn Part 1. (2011).
‘Up in the Air’
Kendrick progressed to more mature roles, such as Natalie, a young businesswoman, in 2009’s Up in the Air (2009). The film follows Natalie and Ryan (played by George Clooney), a human resources expert hired by employers to remove troublesome staff, on a cross-country journey. Ryan claims that his job necessitates face-to-face interaction, whilst Natalie insists that the task can be completed through video-conferencing via computer.
Ryan and Natalie travel together so that Ryan can show Natalie the details of terminating staff. Kendrick received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work on the picture. Vera Farmiga, who plays Clooney’s love interest, was nominated in the same category as well.
‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,’ ’50/50′
Kendrick then starred alongside Michael Cera in the 2010 fantasy-comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen in the comedy-drama 50/50. During a busy 2012, she co-starred in the romantic comedy What to Expect When You’re Expecting with Chace Crawford as a couple expecting their first child, and she had a supporting role in the thriller The Company You Keep with Shia LaBeouf and Robert Redford.
‘Pitch Perfect’ and Sequels
Kendrick also had a surprising hit with Pitch Perfect in 2012. The actress played Beca Mitchell, a college freshman who leads the all-female a cappella club, the Barden Bellas, to the national title in the musical comedy. Aside with creating one of her biggest box-office blockbusters, the film acted as a showcase for Kendrick’s singing, with her version of “Cups (When I’m Gone)” cracking the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10.
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2015) saw Kendrick and numerous co-stars return, including Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, and Anna Camp (2017).
‘Into the Woods’
Kendrick appeared in another big-screen musical in 2014, playing Cinderella with Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, and James Corden in Into the Woods. That same year, she co-starred with Jennifer Aniston in the independent drama Cake, and she co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in the horror comedy The Voices.
‘Trolls,’ ‘A Simple Favor’
Following her role opposite Sam Rockwell in the action comedy Mr. Right (2015), the actress worked on a number of projects in 2016, including The Accountant, The Hollars, Get a Job, and the animated Trolls. The wedding comedy Table 19 (2017) failed to satisfy critics, but Kendrick found greater success in Paul Feig’s 2018 comedy-thriller A Simple Favor, in which she co-starred with Blake Lively. The following year, she appeared in the FBI spoof The Day Shall Come before teaming up with Bill Hader in the holiday comedy Noelle.
‘Dummy,’ ‘Love Life’
Kendrick investigated new ideas, including the introduction of two shows in 2020, in addition to reprising her role as Poppy for the Trolls World Tour. She began filming the Quibi comedy Dummy in April, based on the real-life partnership of TV producers Cody Heller and Dan Harmon. The following month, she helped launch HBO Max with the anthology series Love Life, which follows her character’s amorous adventures.
Social Media, Book & Personal Life
Along with her amazing number of film achievements, Kendrick is well-known for her humorous, frank social media comments, boasting over 7 million followers on Twitter.
In her 2016 memoir, Scrappy Little Nobody, the actress displayed her sense of humour and opened up about her childhood, worries, and problems in Hollywood.
Kendrick has been dating British cinematographer Ben Richardson since 2014.