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Inside Awards Season with Gregory Ellwood

Watch: Interviewing Anna Kendrick literally 'Up in the Air'

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009 By Gregory Ellwood
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The twists and turns of Hollywood's award season can actually be somewhat predictable, so when you're offered a chance to do something out of the box it's usually hard to turn down.  Therefore, when Paramount Pictures invited Awards Campaign to interview the delightful Anna Kendrick from Jason Reitman's critically acclaimed "Up in the Air" on a cross country flight from New York to Los Angeles we immediately jumped on board.

The 24-year-old Kendrick may have been the youngest actor ever nominated for a Tony Award, but "Air" is clearly her breakthrough role.  A legitimate Best Supporting Actress contender, the new dramedy finds Kendrick as Natalie, a fresh out of college and tad overconfident business strategist who tries to shake up the employment services company co-star George Clooney's character works for.  It would be easy to say audiences will see a lot more of Kendrick because of her fantastic work in "Air," but her career is already taking off.  She's cemented herself in "The Twilight Saga" as Bella's human friend Jessica and has a plum role in Edgar Wright's highly-anticipated "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World."  And let's make one thing clear, whether at sea level or at 20,000 feet Kendrick always looks fantastic and is a joy to chat with.  Your interviewer on the other hand?  Egad.

My friends and colleagues have volunteered that my constant self deprecating commentary over my personal appearance may be one of my biggest faults, but dear god in heaven do I look like hell in this interview.  It was certainly fun to chat with Kendrick on a plane somewhere over the middle of the country, but I needed more pancake make up than Sophia Loren splaps on in "Nine" to look anything other than a homeless person who jumped on the American Airlines flight hoping for a good meal. Now, granted, I was fighting off that horrible bug that's been going around (those suffering from a sore throat at the moment know what I'm referring too) and this camera angle would find Mariah Carey screaming for the nearest emergency exit door, but let's just say my pores are much more bearable at sea level.

Enough about your semi-fearless prognosticator, however.  Conducted a few days before she attended the insane "New Moon" premiere , the new interview Ms. Kendrick opens up regarding all the Oscar hype she's been hearing since the film debuted at the Toronto and Telluride Film Festivals and for all those "Twilight" fans in the house she may also reveal just whose "New Moon" team she's on.  Jacob? Edward? Ah, the controversy.

[And no, for those who want a link to a larger version of this interview you'll have to search the site to find it.  Pride is at stake people.]

Enjoy.

"Up in the Air" opens in 12 markets on Dec. 4 and should be nationwide by Christmas.

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  • 3831_talkback_profile
    • lazygarfield said
    • And everyone, see this video in as big a size as you can. Here is the link - http://www.hitfix.com?bcpid=29153138001&bctid=50955074001
    • Nov 19, 09 at 10:35AM EST
        Reply to Comment
  • 3831_talkback_profile
    • lazygarfield said
    • Oh wait, this doesn't work. Damn. Anyway, there's fullscreen.
    • Nov 19, 09 at 10:36AM EST
  • 3831_talkback_profile
    • lazygarfield said
    • Lol, this was really funny. Honestly, i laughed out loudly on a couple of occasions. The homeless bit was priceless. Ace.
    • Nov 19, 09 at 08:46AM EST
        Reply to Comment
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    • xx said
    • seriously the only let down in this interview was that you weren't nearly as ugly as you made yourself out to be...you talked more about your looks then about Anna!

      http://ANNA-KENDRICK.NET
    • Nov 18, 09 at 08:28PM EST
        Reply to Comment

Follow Awards Campaign 2009

About Awards Campaign 2009

  • With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios, launched the Hollywood Hitlist on MSN Movies and revamped The Envelope for the 07-08 season. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing on the basketball court. And even at his advanced age, can still hit a clutch 3 and keep up with those youngin's on the defensive end.

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