Anna Kendrick on how a film director tried to embarrass her in front of 100 extras

Anna Kendrick has made the jump from hugely successful and bankable Hollywood actor to hugely successful and bankable Hollywood director with her debut film, Woman of the Hour. A huge hit critically and commercially in its new home on Netflix, Woman of the Hour has seen Anna Kendrick craft a powerful and emotive thriller telling the harrowing true story of a woman who got paired with serial killer Rodney Alcala in 1970s America. Anna Kendrick just opened up about a horrible experience she had with a director where she felt they tried to embarrass her purposely in front of a room of 100 extras, and honestly – it sounds awful.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Anna Kendrick explained how she felt like this director was purposely trying to embarrass her as some kind of power play. “I remember a director once in a room full of 100 extras or something being like, ‘Hey, on this next one just try something. Just make something up. Just improv something,’ ” Anna Kendrick said.

“And [I did it] and then the director called cut and came over and, once again in front of 100 extras, was like, ‘Oof, let’s go back to the script!’ It really felt like a very specific power move thing to embarrass me, to gain dominance. It was very icky.”

Anna Kendrick concluded by having the last laugh, saying “And then the thing that I improved ended up in the trailer. So f*** you!” Queen.

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She also recently explained to Deadline a bit about the process of why she felt right now was the perfect time to make Woman of the Hour.“I think it was a thought that I was actively shoving down, and I guess it would no longer be silent,” she said. “Looking back, it’s very obviously a protective measure on my part to ignore that desire, because it’s vulnerable to want something and know that you might not get it or that you might get it and fail.”

Woman of the Hour is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• An uncanny side by side comparison of the Woman of the Hour cast versus the real people

• The Dating Game episode with the real Rodney Alcala has resurfaced and it’s terrifying

• Anna Kendrick says the ‘weird remark’ about nudity scenes in Woman of the Hour was real