Anna Kendrick has become such a staple in the film industry, we almost forget how long she has been appearing in movies. Most of you probably know that she appeared in Twilight at an early age, and received an Oscar nomination for her performance opposite George Clooney in Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air. They are part of 8 awesome Anna Kendrick performances you really need to familiarize yourself with. But the Pitch Perfect star is about to take a big step forward in her career by stepping behind the camera to direct for the first time, and as she told CinemaBlend, she received a ton of sweet, funny, and NSFW messages from colleagues once the news broke.
Anna Kendrick was attending the Toronto International Film Festival to promote her upcoming film Alice, Darling, in which she plays a woman enduring an emotionally abusive relationship. It sounds heavy, and it IS heavy, but it also features Anna Kendrick’s best work on screen, in my humble opinion. As she discussed it at length, I pointed out to her that she very much sounded like an actor ready to start making directorial choices, and she explained:
I’m so excited, and so terrified, and all the things, to direct. And actually, there were a couple of really sweet moments when the announcement went out. I’ve been talking with several filmmakers but people that I haven’t heard from in a while were sending me text messages that were like, ‘Fucking finally!’ (Laughs) That was really meaningful. I’m sorry if I can’t… I shouldn’t curse.
Why not? Let it fly. Because in addition to working for decades in front of the camera, that means Anna Kendrick has collaborated with some of the best storytellers of our generation, so she should have an incredible team of directors on which to lean for advice, support, and encouragement. To name just a few, Jason Reitman (Up in the Air), George Clooney, Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), David Ayer (End of Watch), Rob Marshall (Into the Woods), John Krasinski (The Hollars) and Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect 2) all seem like they would be a text or phone call away whenever Kendrick finds that she needs guidance.
There’s no release date on Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut at the moment, but we do know that it will be called The Dating Game (for now), and that Kendrick herself will co-star in it as a character named Cheryl Bradshaw. The story, which actually happened, follows a serial killer named Rodney Alcala who – in the midst of his killing spree – decided to appear on the popular 1970s game show The Dating Game. Against all odds, Alcala “won” the competition, but contestant Bradshaw – who picked him – refused to go on the date because she allegedly found the dude to be too creepy. Read more about it here.
In the meantime, look out for Alice, Darling when it receives a release date, and keep it here for more information regarding your favorite performers.
