Anna Kendrick is “over the moon” about taking the director’s chair for Netflix’s “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” the screen adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best-selling novel.
Kendrick briefly discussed the project while attending the Zurich Film Festival for the European premiere of Lauren Miller Rogen’s “Babies.” Her involvement as director was announced in June.
“Obviously, over the moon and so excited,” Kendrick said.
Liz Tigelaar, whose credits include “Little Fires Everywhere” and “Casual,” wrote the film, with current revisions by “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Atlanta” and “Fargo” writer Francesca Sloane. Jenkins Reid is also attached as an executive producer.
How Brittany Snow Helped Calm Kendrick’s Directing Nerves
During the hour-long discussion, Kendrick looked back on her first experience working behind the camera and admitted she was “really in a panic” before arriving on set.
Reassurance came from her “Pitch Perfect” co-star Brittany Snow, who had faced her own first-time-director anxiety while making “Parachute.” Kendrick said Snow, whom she described as typically emotionally sensitive and receptive to other people’s feelings, instead delivered the blunt encouragement she needed.
“She went: ‘You’re gonna get on set and know what to do, stop it,’” Kendrick recalled. “It was just so cut and dry and exactly what I needed to hear.”
That exchange reflects a bond Kendrick says extends well beyond the screen. She described the women of “Pitch Perfect,” including Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp and Hailee Steinfeld, as a group of 10 who became family through the films.
Although they did not choose one another, Kendrick said their lives are now permanently connected. When someone shares troubling news in their group chat, the others quickly begin working out who can visit and how they can help.
“It’s like ‘Avengers, assemble,’” she said of the group’s response in difficult moments, calling that support system “beautiful.”
The Unexpected Second Life of “Pitch Perfect”
Kendrick also challenged what she sees as “revisionist history” surrounding the original 2012 comedy. While the film is sometimes remembered as a sleeper hit and box-office smash, she said its theatrical performance alone would not have been enough to secure a sequel.
According to Kendrick, “Pitch Perfect” instead found a “second life” on HBO during what she described as the pre-streaming era. Around the same time, the studio asked her to record a full-length version of the “Cup Song” and make a music video—an investment she initially considered a waste of money.
The result, “Cups (Pitch Perfect’s ‘When I’m Gone’),” became a viral success. It generated more than 2.5 million digital downloads, amassed more than 600 million combined YouTube views and peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100 singles chart.
“I don’t think anything that bizarre will ever happen to me again,” Kendrick said. “It was so cool. I got a platinum record to hang in my house, like I’m Snoop Dogg or something!”
The franchise’s broader success also had a lasting effect on her career. Kendrick said the popularity of the movies allowed her to get projects greenlit that might not otherwise have moved forward. She specifically cited “Alice, Darling,” saying she does not believe the film would have been made with her—or possibly made at all—without “Pitch Perfect.”
“Those movies have brought nothing but positive things to me,” she said.
A “Tender and Gentle” Reunion in “Babies”
Kendrick’s Zurich appearance also put the spotlight on “Babies,” which reunites her with Seth Rogen 15 years after the pair appeared together in Jonathan Levine’s “50/50.” Directed by Rogen’s wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, the film is loosely inspired by the couple’s real-life story and centers on two people facing a major decision about whether to have children.
Kendrick said observing Miller Rogen and Rogen together gave her a roadmap for her performance. She described their relationship as one in which they genuinely prefer being together and said watching them on set made the material feel “very tender and gentle.”
“It was very easy to just try to play what I was seeing on set all the time,” she said.
Kendrick Wants to Explore Anger Onscreen
Kendrick also addressed Chris Rock’s recent film “Misty Green” while discussing the kinds of characters she would like to tackle. She said filmmakers do not usually consider her for roles built around rage or anger.
That possibility came into focus during a dinner scene with Rich Sommer and Daniel Kaluuya. Kendrick recalled that Kaluuya’s character becomes explosively angry after something upsets him, prompting her and Sommer to bond over the fact that they are not typically asked to play characters with that kind of fury.
“I’m not usually asked to play rage or anger,” Kendrick said. She added that such a role would be “very challenging and exciting” as well as “scary and interesting” to take on.