Anna Kendrick talks working with Jake Gyllenhaal, style secrets and girls' nights in with GLAMOUR as she promotes amazing new movie End Of Watch.
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GLAMOUR.COM End Of Watch is a real edge-of-your-seat film - did you know as soon as you read the script that you would have to be involved with it?
ANNA KENDRICK: Yeah, you know it's funny, even with really good scripts I find that I end up moving around the house a lot and in between scenes I'll make myself a coffee, you know, fidget and this one was really unique in that the second that I started reading it I was pinned to the spot where I started reading it, and stayed there the entire time, it was such a page turner. It was so exciting and so different and yeah, I basically called my agent immediately and was really excited about getting involved.
G: There are a lot of action scenes, but Janet's story really gives it grounding, especially in the scene when you're recording a message for Jake's character, how much was that improvised?
A: It was an interesting process because we had a lot of freedom, and David encouraged us to which added to the realism of the film but what ended up in the movie was at least 90% his words, you know, it was such a tight script and so well-written, we found more and more that it could exist just exactly as it was on paper, and, yeah, there were little moments that he added here and there, but that monologue in front of the camera, was, believe it or not, all written by big, tough David.
G: How important do you think Janet's story is to the film?
A: I mean definitely, I felt a tremendous sense of responsibility for grounding the world that these men exist in, because that's what was part of the appeal when I read the script and that was something I said to my agent, I remember reading the script, normally playing the wife or girlfriend wouldn't be interesting, but in the context of this film they really give so much heart to these men and it makes it feel like these men aren't just a badge, or a number or a statistic, you know, they don't exist in a vacuum, they're really putting families on the line and their lives on the line.
G: Having said all that, was it really manly on set?
A: Yeah, I think so. But weirdly Jake and Michael and David are such gentlemen at heart that they were so on their best behaviour when the women were around, so it was a nice combination of both. They were definitely this beautiful little boys club, but at the same time they were really concerned about making sure that Natalie and I were comfortable and had everything we needed, it was really sweet.
G: What was it like working closely with Jake?
A: He's incredible, I think he really has a knack for understanding other actors and what they need and he's incredibly supportive and he was really protective of me on set and you know in this lovely way, where life kind of imitates art, the first scene I shot with him was the scene when I meet his friends for the first time and it really felt like I was meeting my boyfriend's friends because they had been working together for a really long time and I really felt like I had to prove myself to them, and at the same time Jake felt like he really had to watch out for me so, yeah, it was really lovely.
G: When you're portraying a relationship like that, a relationship in the early days, how do you rehearse for something like that, how did you go about that with Jake?
A: Um, actually our rehearsal period was really unique and perfect. David wrote a scene that we never intended to shoot for the movie that was our first date, and how we met and we rehearsed that scene over and over again even though we never planned to shoot. And so then it felt everything moving forward had a real timeline and a real base of reality.
G: They should have included that in the film!
A: I know! It was just one of those things where everything had to be based more or less around Sam's footage so there was no way that we could have recorded the first date without Sam freaking out!
G: How do you think Michael and Jake keep the audience on their side? Because even though they're the good guys of the film they do some pretty questionable things.
A: Absolutely, but I think that's exactly part of it, first of all, their chemistry is amazing and they really show how much they believe in doing the right thing and I think that puts you on their side. But I think that they make mistakes and they make decisions that are little questionable every now and then makes you feel for them because you realise that they're not perfect, it really humanizes them.
G: There's an amazing dance scene at Brian's and Janet's wedding, was that fun to film?
A: Yeah, it was kinda fun, it was little embarrassing but it was pretty fun. But Jake was so reluctant to do it, and so grumpy about it that I felt like I had to rally and be, like, the Mom who's like 'Come on, it'll be fun! I'll give you a snack afterwards if you do it!"
G: Well he looks like he's having a great time, so you did a good job…
A: Well, yeah, he's a great actor!
G: What do you want people to take from End Of Watch, what did you take from the film watching it completed?
A: It obviously takes place in the world of the LAPD and the stuff that they come up against every day but I think it's about family, it's about who you choose to surround yourself with and it's the family you choose as an adult, you know, it's a universal theme.
G: So, we're excited about the last Twilight film coming out - is it weird that you're not in this one for the first time?
A: More than anything, I feel like I'm just excited to see the movie, I didn't have that little window into what it was going to be, I wasn't on set for any of those days so I'm really psyched to see the movie.
G: So you'll be watching this one as more of a fan?
A: Oh, absolutely.
G: When it comes to this side of promoting a film do you enjoy the premiers and getting dressed up for it?
A: It's funny, it's kind of a pain in the butt and it's a little stressful, you try and wear the right things and look your best, and it's always a little bit of pressure. But with this one, it was weirdly kind of nice, Jake's so nice and he's so sensitive to women so like every time America Ferrera, Cody Horn, Natalie Martinez and I would show up for a premier he would be amazed that we would look so beautiful and complimenting us. He's really good about it, he's one of those guys that you're like, 'Your Mom raised you right'. So this one was weirdly fun because Jake and Michael were so impressed that we scrubbed up so nicely.
G: You've worn some amazing dresses over the years, what are your style rules when it comes to dressing up for the red carpet or do you just put your trust in the stylist?
A: I guess I like having somebody there to push me out of my comfort zone because it was left to me I would just wear little black dresses all the time, so I definitely have opinions but I like having someone there I trust to say every now and again, you can wear a long dress or you can wear something with no back, and we will manage to find a bra that will fit that, it's going to be okay.
G: What advice would you give to petite girls?
A: I guess the thing I've learnt from starting this whole red carpet stuff, is that everything you buy you should get tailored. Which is really annoying but I never knew what a big difference it made, I always thought things fit me but then I tried something on that actually fit and was like, 'oh no'! So, yeah, I mean I am tiny, I am 5'2, so I think getting stuff tailored is a thing, like getting sleeves taken in, I never knew was a thing that people did. So, yeah, that's been a learning curve.
G: Do you have a style icon?
A: Cate Blanchett, I think there's never a moment where she doesn't look like the coolest person on the planet.
G: What does your beauty regime consist of? If you were going to have a girls pampering night in, what would you do?
A: I got this Arcona Wine hydrating mask, and I always have extra pairs of really fuzzy slippers around so if friends come over, they can slip those on.
G: And what's up next for you, after End of Watch?
A:Pitch Perfect comes out in, I think, December in the UK and that's like this crazy a capella movie I did, and then after that I filmed a comedy with Miles Teller and Bryan Cranston called Get a Job and then I did an improv movie called Drinking Buddies with Olivia Wilde with Ron Livingston and Jake Johnson.
End Of Watch is out 23 November 2012
Bonus: the Annas being qt on Thanksgiving
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& a new/old interview on the "Pitch Perfect" set
sources: 1,2&3
tyfyt <3
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GLAMOUR.COM End Of Watch is a real edge-of-your-seat film - did you know as soon as you read the script that you would have to be involved with it?
ANNA KENDRICK: Yeah, you know it's funny, even with really good scripts I find that I end up moving around the house a lot and in between scenes I'll make myself a coffee, you know, fidget and this one was really unique in that the second that I started reading it I was pinned to the spot where I started reading it, and stayed there the entire time, it was such a page turner. It was so exciting and so different and yeah, I basically called my agent immediately and was really excited about getting involved.
G: There are a lot of action scenes, but Janet's story really gives it grounding, especially in the scene when you're recording a message for Jake's character, how much was that improvised?
A: It was an interesting process because we had a lot of freedom, and David encouraged us to which added to the realism of the film but what ended up in the movie was at least 90% his words, you know, it was such a tight script and so well-written, we found more and more that it could exist just exactly as it was on paper, and, yeah, there were little moments that he added here and there, but that monologue in front of the camera, was, believe it or not, all written by big, tough David.
G: How important do you think Janet's story is to the film?
A: I mean definitely, I felt a tremendous sense of responsibility for grounding the world that these men exist in, because that's what was part of the appeal when I read the script and that was something I said to my agent, I remember reading the script, normally playing the wife or girlfriend wouldn't be interesting, but in the context of this film they really give so much heart to these men and it makes it feel like these men aren't just a badge, or a number or a statistic, you know, they don't exist in a vacuum, they're really putting families on the line and their lives on the line.
G: Having said all that, was it really manly on set?
A: Yeah, I think so. But weirdly Jake and Michael and David are such gentlemen at heart that they were so on their best behaviour when the women were around, so it was a nice combination of both. They were definitely this beautiful little boys club, but at the same time they were really concerned about making sure that Natalie and I were comfortable and had everything we needed, it was really sweet.
G: What was it like working closely with Jake?
A: He's incredible, I think he really has a knack for understanding other actors and what they need and he's incredibly supportive and he was really protective of me on set and you know in this lovely way, where life kind of imitates art, the first scene I shot with him was the scene when I meet his friends for the first time and it really felt like I was meeting my boyfriend's friends because they had been working together for a really long time and I really felt like I had to prove myself to them, and at the same time Jake felt like he really had to watch out for me so, yeah, it was really lovely.
G: When you're portraying a relationship like that, a relationship in the early days, how do you rehearse for something like that, how did you go about that with Jake?
A: Um, actually our rehearsal period was really unique and perfect. David wrote a scene that we never intended to shoot for the movie that was our first date, and how we met and we rehearsed that scene over and over again even though we never planned to shoot. And so then it felt everything moving forward had a real timeline and a real base of reality.
G: They should have included that in the film!
A: I know! It was just one of those things where everything had to be based more or less around Sam's footage so there was no way that we could have recorded the first date without Sam freaking out!
G: How do you think Michael and Jake keep the audience on their side? Because even though they're the good guys of the film they do some pretty questionable things.
A: Absolutely, but I think that's exactly part of it, first of all, their chemistry is amazing and they really show how much they believe in doing the right thing and I think that puts you on their side. But I think that they make mistakes and they make decisions that are little questionable every now and then makes you feel for them because you realise that they're not perfect, it really humanizes them.
G: There's an amazing dance scene at Brian's and Janet's wedding, was that fun to film?
A: Yeah, it was kinda fun, it was little embarrassing but it was pretty fun. But Jake was so reluctant to do it, and so grumpy about it that I felt like I had to rally and be, like, the Mom who's like 'Come on, it'll be fun! I'll give you a snack afterwards if you do it!"
G: Well he looks like he's having a great time, so you did a good job…
A: Well, yeah, he's a great actor!
G: What do you want people to take from End Of Watch, what did you take from the film watching it completed?
A: It obviously takes place in the world of the LAPD and the stuff that they come up against every day but I think it's about family, it's about who you choose to surround yourself with and it's the family you choose as an adult, you know, it's a universal theme.
G: So, we're excited about the last Twilight film coming out - is it weird that you're not in this one for the first time?
A: More than anything, I feel like I'm just excited to see the movie, I didn't have that little window into what it was going to be, I wasn't on set for any of those days so I'm really psyched to see the movie.
G: So you'll be watching this one as more of a fan?
A: Oh, absolutely.
G: When it comes to this side of promoting a film do you enjoy the premiers and getting dressed up for it?
A: It's funny, it's kind of a pain in the butt and it's a little stressful, you try and wear the right things and look your best, and it's always a little bit of pressure. But with this one, it was weirdly kind of nice, Jake's so nice and he's so sensitive to women so like every time America Ferrera, Cody Horn, Natalie Martinez and I would show up for a premier he would be amazed that we would look so beautiful and complimenting us. He's really good about it, he's one of those guys that you're like, 'Your Mom raised you right'. So this one was weirdly fun because Jake and Michael were so impressed that we scrubbed up so nicely.
G: You've worn some amazing dresses over the years, what are your style rules when it comes to dressing up for the red carpet or do you just put your trust in the stylist?
A: I guess I like having somebody there to push me out of my comfort zone because it was left to me I would just wear little black dresses all the time, so I definitely have opinions but I like having someone there I trust to say every now and again, you can wear a long dress or you can wear something with no back, and we will manage to find a bra that will fit that, it's going to be okay.
G: What advice would you give to petite girls?
A: I guess the thing I've learnt from starting this whole red carpet stuff, is that everything you buy you should get tailored. Which is really annoying but I never knew what a big difference it made, I always thought things fit me but then I tried something on that actually fit and was like, 'oh no'! So, yeah, I mean I am tiny, I am 5'2, so I think getting stuff tailored is a thing, like getting sleeves taken in, I never knew was a thing that people did. So, yeah, that's been a learning curve.
G: Do you have a style icon?
A: Cate Blanchett, I think there's never a moment where she doesn't look like the coolest person on the planet.
G: What does your beauty regime consist of? If you were going to have a girls pampering night in, what would you do?
A: I got this Arcona Wine hydrating mask, and I always have extra pairs of really fuzzy slippers around so if friends come over, they can slip those on.
G: And what's up next for you, after End of Watch?
A:Pitch Perfect comes out in, I think, December in the UK and that's like this crazy a capella movie I did, and then after that I filmed a comedy with Miles Teller and Bryan Cranston called Get a Job and then I did an improv movie called Drinking Buddies with Olivia Wilde with Ron Livingston and Jake Johnson.
End Of Watch is out 23 November 2012
Bonus: the Annas being qt on Thanksgiving
& a new/old interview on the "Pitch Perfect" set
sources: 1,2&3
tyfyt <3
