--- description: The actress talks Into the Woods, Meryl Streep and the version of Pitch Perfect that never got made title: Anna Kendrick Interview: Her Twitter, Meryl Streep and Into the Woods image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37cc79183606d6ba/698769558e06012fbf458a2e/into-the-woods-anna-kendrick2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Anna Kendrick May Be a Princess, But She's No Damsel in Distress  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Nov 20, 2014 1:00 PM CUT  Anna Kendrick as Cinderella in Into the Woods Anna Kendrick as Cinderella in Into the WoodsPeter Mountain—Disney  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Nov 20, 2014 1:00 PM CUT Anna Kendrick might not strike you as a Disney princess: The 29-year-old actress is known as much for tweeting about things like her post-Oscar hangovers as she is for playing feisty outsiders in _Pitch Perfect_ and _Happy Christmas_. But Kendrick’s Cinderella in the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s _Into the Woods_, out Christmas Day, may surprise you. Kendrick, who was nominated for a Tony for her performance High Society at just 12 years old, will also sing in _Pitch Perfect 2_ and _The Last 5 Years_ in 2015. TIME talked to her about singing with Meryl Streep, empowered princesses and how she fought for big changes in the _Pitch Perfect_ script. **TIME: Were you a princess person growing up?** **Anna Kendrick:** I won’t lie to you: I was a big fan of _The Little Mermaid_. I would do that thing in the pool, where I would flip my hair back because I wanted to be Ariel. But my older brother didn’t want to have an embarrassing little sister, so he insisted that I be exposed to other things. In retrospect, someone two years older than you is not necessarily qualified to say, “I think you’re old enough to watch _Pulp Fiction_ now” because I definitely was not. He was responsible for making me a weird little kid. **Wait, how old were you when you saw** **_Pulp Fiction_** **?** I was about 11? Maybe some kids are emotionally prepared to deal with _Pulp Fiction_ at 11\. I was not. And I think that’s made me the person I am today. I’m not complaining, but I did have nightmares for a little while. It’s all character building. **Obviously the princesses in** **_Into the Woods_** **are very different than your traditional princesses. There seems to be a moment right now with** **_Frozen_** **princesses not waiting for their princes to save them…** And _Maleficent_ as well! **Totally. You’re now among the growing list of princesses who can save themselves. What are your thoughts on that evolution?** _Into the Woods_ has existed for years, but if more people being exposed to it through this movie continues that trend of princesses saving themselves and making their own choices, I think that’s fantastic. I remember my best friend and I when we were running around the playground, she and I would dream about saving boys from falling off cliffs — not the other way around. But we would whisper these fantasies to each other, as though we weren’t supposed to be daydreaming about being the savior. We were supposed to be daydreaming about being saved. So I’m glad that it’s being represented in film because I think that that instinct exists in girls, and it’s nice to acknowledge that that’s normal. **_Pitch Perfect_** **did something similar. The first time I saw it, it reminded me a lot of** **_Bring It On_** **, except it was more about the female friendships than** **_Bring It On_** **was. It felt like progress.** Oh wow. Really? I haven’t seen _Bring It On_ in so long. That would be interesting to revisit. **The big kiss at the end of** **_Bring It On_** **matters more than the competition, right? But in** **_Pitch Perfect_** **, the kiss isn’t the last scene. The big reveal at the end is who won the trophy because that matters more than the romance.** It’s so funny you say that. There was this scene that got deleted anyway, but originally the low point in my character’s journey was supposed to be when I found out this guy I vaguely had a crush on at the radio station had a girlfriend. And I was like, “That sucks.” And I fought so hard so that my low point could be that I didn’t think that I was ever going to get any real responsibility at the radio station. I think that we ended up on a mixed version of the two. The scene got deleted anyway, so it’s a moot point. But yeah. I was like, “That’s garbage!” It can’t just be like, “Oh my crush has a girlfriend. I guess I was wrong about everything.” **Right, I thought initially the movie was going to be a competition between the scummy guy and the good guy, but then it wasn’t, which I think is what makes it unique.** They just realized in the edits very quickly that it was all about the girls and spending more time with the girls. So that was an awesome direction that it ended up taking. And I’m excited we’re revisiting that in _Pitch Perfect 2_. **You moved from Broadway to L.A. for a pilot that didn’t end up airing. Why stay out in California rather than move back to New York?** Man, the quality of life was just sort of irresistible. When you have no money in New York, you’re living in a shoebox and it’s freezing. When you have no money in L.A., you’re living in a slightly larger shoebox, and you can go outside and feel okay about your life for a minute. **Then your big break was in** **_Up in the Air_** **. You’ve said after that movie, you were** **offered a lot of business suit type roles, and you turned them down because you didn’t want to get pigeonholed. But you** **will have been in several big movie musicals before the age of 30\. Is there a reason you can keep doing those and not feel the same way?** Well, you’re right. It occurred to me that maybe doing four musicals was not a great career plan. After doing _Pitch Perfect_, I didn’t expect to do other musicals, but then I was offered _The Last Five Years_ and _Into the Woods_, which are two of the greatest pieces of theater that I can think of. So obviously I wasn’t going to be like, “Oh I’m trying to really stay away from musicals right now, so thanks but I’ll pass.” When certain opportunities come along you throw the rules out the window. **Had you seen** **_Into the Woods_** **as a kid? What was your initial reaction to it?** I grew up watching the Bernadette Peters version on VHS. Like so many people before me, I thought that the end of the first act was the end of the show because those are the stories that we know. And I was kind of unnerved by the second half. It made me feel uncomfortable. But that’s what makes it so compelling and beautiful. The second half of the show is where people have to face the consequences of their actions. **That’s definitely true for many of the characters who do bad things. But I felt like Cinderella didn’t do anything wrong. Did you?** I know what you’re saying. It’s a hard question because she’s such a put-upon character. But her mother asks at the grave, “Do you know what you wish? Are you certain what you wish is what you want?” And this happens all the time in real life, where you think you want one thing, but then it turns out you don’t. Getting into that sort of situation has consequences. She doesn’t act especially selfishly, but she also doesn’t want to make more hard choices about how to deal with the real tragedy that’s going on in her world now. **Why do you think Cinderella keeps running away from the prince so much?** Well, this is a character who’s been abused and neglected her whole life, and she is presented with the trappings of love. She doesn’t know what love is. And then it sort of turns out her instincts are correct and this isn’t love. So it’s difficult to leave the world that she knows even if it’s a bad situation. And then later she’s again incredibly brave to leave a better situation because she says, “I deserve better than this.” **Did you always want the Cinderella part?** As a young girl obviously I was very enamored with the Little Red part. And it was a funny transition in my brain to be told I would be auditioning for Cinderella because I think of myself as, like, a screeching 12-year-old more than I think of myself as a kind-hearted ingenue. But I reminded myself that I’m a grownup, and that’s the deal. **What was it like working with Meryl Streep?** I would say that Meryl shares a certain quality with George Clooney \[whom Kendrick starred with in _Up In the Air_\], which is that she understands that actors think of her as one of the most intimidating people you can possibly meet or work with, and still she makes you feel comfortable. She has this incredible talent of making you forget how totally intimidating she is. And it’s no easy feat. I really think that it’s something that they’ve thought about and worked on. **So are you taking notes for when you’re further along in your career and trying to put people at ease because you’re such a big deal?** I don’t think I’m going to have to worry about that. **You** **_have_** **done a bunch of movies that have like these super-intense, young fan bases, between** **_Twilight_** **and** **_Pitch Perfect_** **and now** **_Into the Woods._** Yeah, it’s like the opposite of what I expected my life to ever be because I feel like I’m so bad with kids. When they walk up to me and are excited to talk to me, it’s bewildering. I always feel like I’m going to disappoint them. But I haven’t broken any hearts. I do think I go into this kind of like beauty pageant contestant voice, which is silly because if they liked _Pitch Perfect_, they know that’s not my character. I was talking to this little girl, and after they left my friend was like, “Are you running for office?” I was trying to say all the right things. But I’m slowly getting better at it. **You are very active on Twitter and say a lot of things that aren’t necessarily PG. Do you ever worry that some angry parent is going to complain?** I know. I guess that was my concern when I first started on Twitter, but I find that the weirder I go, the happier I am, and the happier my followers are. When I think of a silly thing to say and then try to find the PG version, it’s just, like, a waste of everybody’s time. So yes. I worry that a parent is going to get mad. But I don’t know. I mean, I saw _Pulp Fiction_ when I was 11, and I turned out okay. I think my followers can handle it — a couple f-bombs in tweets. **I’ve also heard people describe you as like the ultimate cool girl partially because of your Twitter presence. Do you like that people think you’re approachable or is it overwhelming?** Hell yeah! It’s the first time in my life people have thought I’m cool. I really wish that I had figured that out in high school. **You tweeted that you were jealous of your friend Aubrey Plaza being the voice of Grumpy Cat. If you could voice one character, a cartoon of whatever, who would it be?** Woah. Um. Oh my God I don’t know! Maybe Boba Fett? That would be a hell of a crossover movie. **I think people would see that.** Definitely. ### Here's What 20 Famous Women Think About Feminism  "People have sorely messed up the definition of feminism. It isn’t saying this is wrong and this is right," said Chrissy Teigen during a Variety event in 2014, adding that husband John Legend also identifies: "He’s a bigger feminist than I am! He actually teaches me a lot about the way women should be perceived." D Dipasupil—Getty Images for Extra  The Twilight actress reacted to women rejecting feminism during a Daily Beast interview in October: "That’s such a strange thing to say, isn’t it? Like, what do you mean? Do you not believe in equality for men and women? I think it’s a response to overly-aggressive types." Loic Venance—AFP/Getty Images  "I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me," said Emma Watson at a UN Women speech in September. "Men-- I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender Equality is your issue, too." Anthony Harvey—Getty Images  “I would say on some levels I am \[a feminist\]. Angela Davis is one of my heroes,” Halle Berry told Ebony in April. “And Gloria Steinem—these are people who, as I was growing, I was moved by and impacted by and thought very deeply about.” Joe Scarnici—Getty Images  "I don’t think of myself as being a feminist,” Sinead O'Connor told The Guardian in July. “I wouldn’t label myself anything, certainly not something with an ‘ism’ or an ‘ist’ at the end of it. I’m not interested in anything that is in any way excluding of men.” Jason Kempin—Getty Images  "I wouldn’t say \[I'm a\] feminist, that’s too strong. I think when people hear feminist it’s just like, ‘Get out of my way I don’t need anyone,’” Kelly Clarkson told TIME last year. “I love that I’m being taken care of, and I have a man that’s an actual leader. I’m not a feminist in that sense … but I’ve worked really hard since I was 19." Christopher Polk—Getty Images  Leighton Meester told OOTD magazine in February about her biggest role model. "American writer Betty Friedan — she fought for gender equality and wrote the great book The Feminine Mystique which sparked the beginning of a second-wave feminism,” Meester said. “I believe in equal rights for men and women.” D Dipasupil—FilmMagic  “I don’t know why people are so reluctant to say they’re feminists," Ellen Page told The Guardian in 2013\. "Maybe some women just don’t care. But how could it be any more obvious that we still live in a patriarchal world when feminism is a bad word?” Dave Kotinsky—Getty Images  "For me, the issue of feminism is just not an interesting concept,” Lana Del Rey told Fader magazine in their summer 2014 issue. “I’m more interested in, you know, SpaceX and Tesla, what’s going to happen with our intergalactic possibilities." (Tabatha Fireman—Redferns/Getty Images)  “I would \[call myself a feminist\], yes.” Rashida Jones said in 2013\. “I believe in the unadulterated advancement of women. And we have so far to go still.” Christopher Polk—NBC/Getty Images  “Am I a feminist? F–k yeah, I’m a feminist,” Jenny Slate told MTV News in June. “I think that unfortunately people who are maybe threatened by feminism think that it’s about setting your bra on fire and being aggressive, and I think that’s really wrong and really dangerous.” Jason Kempin—Getty Images  "A feminist? Um, yeah, actually,” Katy Perry told an Australian radio host in March. “I used to not really understand what that word meant, and now that I do, it just means that I love myself as a female and I also love men.” Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images  Amy Poehler says she's confused by how many women deny that they're feminists, “but then they go on to explain what they support and live by — it’s feminism exactly,” she told Elle magazine in January. "That’s like someone being like, ‘I don’t really believe in cars, but I drive one every day and I love that it gets me places and makes life so much easier and faster and I don’t know what I would do without it.’” Jason Kempin—NBC/Getty Images  "We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality. It isn’t a reality yet," Beyonce wrote in an essay titled "Gender Equality is a Myth" in January. She also famously included an excerpt from Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TEDx talk in her song, "Flawless." Myrna Suarez—WireImage  “I feel like I’m one of the biggest feminists in the world because I tell women to not be scared of anything,” Miley Cyrus told the BBC last November. Julio Cesar Aguilar—AFP/Getty Images  "I wish when I was 12-years-old I had been able to watch a video of my favorite actress explaining in such an intellectual, beautiful, poignant way the definition of feminism."Taylor Swift said in reaction to Emma Watson's speech at the UN in September. "Because I would have understood it. And then earlier on in my life I would have proudly claimed I was a feminist because I would have understood what the word means." Isaac Brekken—Getty Images  “Women saying ‘I’m not a feminist’ is my greatest pet peeve,” Lena Dunham told Metro in 2013\. “Do you believe that women should be paid the same for doing the same jobs? Do you believe that women should be allowed to leave the house? Do you think that women and men both deserve equal rights? Great, then you’re a feminist.” Michael Buckner—Getty Images  "No, because I love men," was Shailene Woodley's response when TIME asked her whether she considered herself a feminist in May. "I think the idea of ‘raise women to power, take the men away from the power’ is never going to work out because you need balance…My biggest thing is really sisterhood more than feminism.” Dave J Hogan—Getty Images  “I’m getting the sense that you’re a little bit of a feminist, like I am, which is good,” Lady Gaga told the LA Times in 2009\. “I find that men get away with saying a lot in this business, and that women get away with saying very little . . . In my opinion, women need and want someone to look up to that they feel have the full sense of who they are, and says, ‘I’m great.’ “ Kevin Mazur—WireImage  “\[Feminism\] means being proud of being a woman, and \[having\] love, respect and admiration and the belief in our strong capacities,” Salma Hayek told Stylist in 2012\. “I don’t think we are the same, women and men. We’re different. But I don’t think we are less than men. There are more women than men in the world – ask any single woman! So it is shocking that men are in more positions of power.” Traverso—L'Oreal/Getty Images  Children yell to players after a game between the New York Mets and Houston Astros at Citi Field on September 28, 2014 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Alex Goodlett—Getty Images _Read next:_ [_Anna Kendrick Makes Getting Locked Out Look Like Fun_](http://time.com/3586461/anna-kendrick-kate-spade/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3592456/anna-kendrick-interview/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3592456/anna-kendrick-interview/"},"headline":"Anna Kendrick May Be a Princess, But She's No Damsel in Distress","datePublished":"2014-11-20T13:00:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:07:01.713Z","description":"The actress talks Into the Woods, Meryl Streep and the version of Pitch Perfect that never got made","url":"https://time.com/3592456/anna-kendrick-interview/","keywords":["celebrities","movies","Anna Kendrick","entertainment"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37cc79183606d6ba/698769558e06012fbf458a2e/into-the-woods-anna-kendrick2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37cc79183606d6ba/698769558e06012fbf458a2e/into-the-woods-anna-kendrick2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"INTO THE WOODS","caption":"INTO THE WOODS","creditText":"Peter Mountain—Disney","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3592456/anna-kendrick-interview/","name":"Anna Kendrick May Be a Princess, But She's No Damsel in Distress"}}]}] ```