Anna Kendrick has been loved by the world since her acclaimed performance in Up In The Air. There's just something about her that makes you want to be her friend. Because that's not going to happen, how about some interesting facts about the enchanting Anna Kendrick.
Anna Kendrick Facts
1. Top of her game
Kendrick has received numerous Tony and Oscar nominations in the past. In 1998, Kendrick scored her 'Best Featured Actress' Tony nomination for her role in High Society at the age of 12. At age 24, the actress earned her best supporting actress nomination in 2010 for Up in the Air, in which she starred opposite George Clooney.
2. Cheesy Gordita Crunch
Kendrick loves Taco Bell… a lot. "It's a dirty thing that I love Taco Bell so much," Kendrick said in an interview with Conan O'Brien. "I cannot eat Taco Bell before midnight. It's a reverse gremlins thing. It's just so filthy that I can't do it. It has to be under cover of darkness in my car ... I drive out of my way to get to the one with the drive-thru so I don't have to go inside, and then I'll just eat it in the parking lot in my car."
3. 100% no.... but maybe...
Kendrick did not think Pitch Perfect 2 would happen! "It just didn't feel like it was really going to happen, so I was sort of running around going, 'That's not going to happen. Sorry, it just probably isn't going to happen.' Because movies have made more money and have not gotten sequels, so I didn't expect it to happen," Kendrick said in an interview with the Today show. "It really wasn't until all the girls signed on that I was like, 'Well, it would be so crazy if they were all doing it and I wasn't there.'
Universal, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
4. We're not done with Pitch Perfect yet.
The first Pitch Perfect movie was a global success at the box office, earning $115 million worldwide. Pitch Perfect 2 scored $284 million worldwide, and Kendrick will be starring in Pitch Perfect 3, which is scheduled to hit theaters July 21, 2017.
jason madrigal, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
5. We're taking the hobbits to Isengard.
Kendrick hosts an annual Lord of the Rings marathon. The actress is a sci-fi/fantasy fan and lists Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter as some of her favorites. "I have an annual marathon of the extended editions of Lord of the Rings," Kendrick admitted in an interview to CineMovie.
6. Sweet cups.
Pitch Perfect Song "Cups" made Billboard charts. A year following Kendrick's performance of "Cups" in Pitch Perfect, the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard's Adult Contemporary Radio Airplay Chart, No. 2 on Adult Pop Songs and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Universal, Pitch Perfect (2012)
7. From Maine to Hollywood.
Anna Kendrick was born in Portland, Maine on August 9, 1985. Her mother is an insurance accountant, her father was a history teacher before moving to finance as well, and her older brother Michael once appeared in a 2000 independent film named Looking for an Echo. The family has English, Irish and Scottish ancestry.
Alex Boykov, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
8. Three, two, one, liftoff!
It was indie Sundance hit Rocket Science (2007) that effectively launched her career. Her performance as Ginny Ryerson drew the attention of directors Jason Reitman and Edgar Wright, who ended up casting her in Up in the Air and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, respectively.
9. A US president walks into a bar...
One time, she made Barack Obama split his sides - you know, the President of the United States. "The coolest three seconds of my life," Kendrick tweeted. We're not sure what the killer joke was, but the pictures (from 2012) are brilliant. They're probably BFFs now, right?
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10. Cups for days.
Kendrick is a self-confessed Redditor. In fact, that's how she ended up learning the song and choreography behind the Cup Song, aka 'You're Gonna Miss Me.' She quipped to SheKnows: "I am a huge loser and I decided to devote a whole afternoon of my life to learning how to do the thing with the cups."
Universal, Pitch Perfect (2012)
11. You just got pwned!
Kendrick joined Korean pop supergroup f(x) in a Funny or Die comedy sketch. The video, titled “Anna Kendrick goes K-Pop with F(x)” shows Kendrick speaking and singing Korean and makes her look like a StarCraft pro. The video is amazing and hilarious.
12. Video bombing.
Kendrick can be spotted in a bunch of random videos. In 2010, Kendrick appeared in a LCD Soundsystem music video for 'Pow Pow', the band's first single from the top-notch album This Is Happening. She also featured in the video for Ben Folds Five's 'Do It Anyway' alongside Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine) and stand-up comedian Chris Hardwick.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
13. Twitter gold
Kendrick is without a doubt one of the best celebrities to follow on Twitter (sample: "Sometimes the only reason I leave my house is so when someone asks about my day I don't have to say 'Netflix and avoiding responsibilities'"). Earlier this year, she even tweeted a picture of herself eating a fast food burger at a fancy Oscar party. Basically, she comes across as really relatable and down-to-earth while being hilarious at the same time. We want to be BFFs with her. Badly.
14. Not cool, Malin, not cool.
She used to have a hot dog named after her. The Anna Kendrick - formerly known as the Keira Knightley, the Jennifer Garner and the Britney Spears - was a "mighty hot" menu item at an eatery in Chicago named Hot Doug's. Kendrick went one further than her predecessors by eating the thing. "Just had a hot dog called the 'Anna Kendrick'," she tweeted. "My mouth is still burning. Awesome awesome awesome!!" Why Hot Doug's renamed the item (it now goes by the Malin Akerman), we don't know.
15. I bet she makes delicious cupcakes.
Kendrick once spent time off taking orders at a pastry shop. She says "I'm really into baking and I'm really into pastries and stuff. I went into a really high-end pastry shop and... just asked if I could work there for two weeks, and they said yes."
16. Crushing show business since she was ten.
When she was 10, her parents put her on a Greyhound bus to NY with her older brother so she could audition for Broadway.
17. Gotta love The Strokes.
When The Strokes came to Kendrick’s hometown, she camped out for tickets and was in the front row for the concert. “I was in the front row, just staring Julian Casablancas down like a weirdo. The one time our eyes met I thought I was gonna explode!”
Roger Woolman, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
18. Mmm, banana.
Her favorite sweets come from a Japanese chain store in California called Famima. “They make this really bizarre thing that I tried. It's a banana dipped in chocolate that's wrapped in a pancake that's covered in banana-flavored whipped cream! It sounds really gross, but it is amazing.”
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
19. A shot at romance.
Kendrick's favorite kind of film is dark comedy, which initially drew her to the film 50/50. Despite playing a slew of teenage characters throughout her career, Kendrick had her first onscreen romance at the age of 25, in the film 50/50 opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
20. Brotherly love.
Kendrick first learned about weed when her brother was listening to Cypress Hill and she heard the lyric, "Inhale, exhale." She didn't know what that meant so her brother explained, "He's talking about weed, idiot." Kendrick went on to say, “But I'm pretty sure, at that point, my brother didn't know anything about weed, either.”
21. Well said, Anna. Well said.
Remember Kendrick as Jessica Stanley in the Twilight series? Even though the Twilight films have received harsh criticism from viewers around the world, she has defended Twilight fans. She told The WSJ, "I'm tired of hearing people rag on the fans. If you don't like Twilight, don't buy a ticket."
22. Well, she does look like a princess.
Kendrick’s played a princess more than once. In the 2014 musical fantasy film adaptation of Into the Woods, Kendrick plays the first Cinderella that isn't blonde. Kendrick appeared as another Disney Princess, Ariel, in an SNL skit. In the skit, she sings a few popular tunes by Britney Spears, Kesha, and Selena Gomez.
23. Maybe because you're gorgeous and talented...
She likes the way she looks but has never considered herself to what she calls a “pretty girl.” Kendrick told the Toronto Star, "Okay, I am happy with the way I look, but I have never, never, ever thought of myself as a 'pretty girl.' Honestly. When I read some of these scripts I'm sent, and they describe the heroine as 'incredibly beautiful,' I wonder why they sent it to me.”
Eugene Gologursky, Getty Images
24. Queen B.
She is an avid fan of Beyoncé and frequently posts about her on social media. A few years ago, she freaked out after meeting Queen B at the Grammy Awards. Earlier this year, she posted on Instagram, "Never trust a girl who doesn't love Beyoncé ??.."
25. Work for what you got
How does she maintain such a stunning figure? To maintain her slender figure and healthy glow, she practices different types of workouts including yoga and tries to get plenty of sleep. Kendrick is also very petite. She stands at just 5 feet 2 inches.
26. A few drinks never hurt anybody...
Kendrick sometimes gets drunk for interviews. She revealed a secret about her interview for the December 2014 issue of Marie Claire: "Marie Claire got me drunk for my interview #true #DidntFightIt," she tweeted. The interview took place at a speakeasy bar in downtown L.A, so it's cool.
Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images
27. Composed several accordion symphonies?
Kendrick does not play the accordion. After some sort of snafu with fan questions in a 2013 interview, Kendrick jokingly asked fans to add that she plays the accordion to her Wikipedia page. Of course, they obliged. And now you're a TRUE Anna Kendrick fan because you know the truth.
28. Sweet grillz.
Kendrick wears Invisalign, or at least she did earlier last year when she posted the below picture on her Instagram page. She captioned the picture: “Sound crew made this label for my Invisalign case. So now it’s badass.” No wonder she has such a perfect smile!
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
29. Was it good though?
Kendrick hit the mac 'n cheese jackpot. Her love for the cheesy goodness earned her this token of appreciation from Kraft. She explained on Instagram: "So, I eat so much Mac&Cheese that Kraft sent me a solid gold macaroni necklace. Hands down the best swag I've ever gotten. #Pride #ThisIsRealLife." We're jealous.
Jonathan Leibson, Getty Images
30. Move to the music.
Kendrick has the unique achievement of appearing in three big screen musicals - Into the Woods (2014), The Last Five Years (2014) and Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) - that were released theatrically within just six months of each other, from December 2014 to May 2015. That is a rare feat, considering the low amount of big screen musicals that are made in Hollywood each year.
31. She's too cool for the Academy anyway.
Kendrick did not attend the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony in 2011 because she said she had been very overwhelmed on the previous year when she was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Up in the Air in 2009.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
32. You're fired.
Kendrick played Natalie, a young businesswoman, in 2009's Up in the Air (2009). The film follows a cross-country trek taken by Natalie and Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney), a human resources professional who is hired by companies to fire unwanted employees. Her co-star, Vera Farmiga, who plays Clooney's love interest, was also nominated in the same category.
Paramount, Up in the Air (2009)
33. A few projects on the go...
In 2016, Kendrick starred opposite Sam Rockwell in Mr. Right, an action comedy in which she plays a woman whose perfect guy turns out to be a hit man. That same year, the busy actress also starred in The Hollars, Get a Job and The Accountant. Kendrick also voiced the character Poppy in the animated film, Trolls.
34. Anna on sexism.
Kendrick is all about talking about sexism, but she doesn’t necessarily believe that actors are the right people to tackle these social issues questions. “It shouldn’t be the most important conversation about sexism – because no one really wants to hear actors talk about this, because we’re in such positions of privilege,” the 31-year-old actress reveals in the latest issue of Glamour.
35. Could she get any cooler?
On November 21, 2016, Kendrick, Billy Eichner and James Corden sang a soundtrack to growing up, from the birth to the first love to graduation to marriage, in a hilarious segment from The Late Late Show. The trio belted their way through hits such as Adele‘s “Hello,” Madonna‘s “Papa Don’t Preach” and “Like A Virgin,” fun.‘s “We Are Young,” Rihanna‘s “Bitch Better Have My Money,” Justin Bieber‘s “Baby” and Alicia Key‘s “Girl On Fire.”
CBS, The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015–2022)
36. Magical, money-conjuring check books? I want.
Kendrick wanted to be a doctor when she was little, but not for the salary. Specifically, she told her mom she wanted to work with poor people and not make them pay. When her mom asked her what she’d do for money, she said, “I’ll just write a check.”
37. Not the best criminal.
A friend once forced her to sneak in to see Iron Man without paying and she felt insanely guilty. So guilty about it that when she met Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau a year later, she confessed what she did and offered them money.
38. Yummy pig guts.
Zac Efron once threw up on her feet. During a scene for Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, the cast members had to eat fake pig guts (this scene, of course, also got cut). While Anna pretended to eat hers, Zac did, and just as she thought, "How is he not throwing up right now?" he did. She was barefoot.
Twentieth Century Fox, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
39. Worst guy.
The first person she had sex with slut-shamed her. A few months after losing her virginity at 19, Anna’s boyfriend, who she was having sex with regularly, told her he thought sex before marriage was a sin. When she questioned him further, he told her the problem was that she was always the one initiating sex, saying, “You don’t have to be so, like, ready and willing.” Unsurprisingly, they broke up shortly after.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
40. Scrappy little nobody? More like A-list star.
Kendrick’s memoir, Scrappy Little Nobody, is pretty misleading, as she hasn’t been a nobody for a long time. To be fair, that’s a good thing, as the 31-year-old actress has covered a lot of ground in her trajectory from nobody to somebody. The book is a collection of autobiographical essays that cover everything from Kendrick’s life on Broadway as a young teenager to her glamorous grown-up years on the red carpet.
