Anna Kendrick acknowledges that she works very hard at her craft and is compelled to work tirelessly because she fears being unemployed.
Part of that fear stems from Anna Kendrick’s childhood. She told Glamour in its June issue the her parents struggled with unemployment and the memories of those stressful times have lingered. freely admits she’s a bit of a workaholic. And that’s partly because her own parents didn’t always have steady jobs.
“As an actress, you’re perpetually about to be unemployed,” said Anna Kendrick of Pitch Perfect 2, adding that it’s harder when your past is peppered with uncertainty about having a job.
“That fear – when you have two parents who worked 9-to-5 jobs and went through periods of being unemployed – is real,” Anna Kendrick said. “Those were not welcome times in my childhood. Working 14 hours a day isn’t sustainable, but I prefer it [to doing fewer films]. I might as well be doing the thing that I wanted to do my whole life.”
Anna Kendrick isn't the cool girl. And she's totally fine with that http://t.co/ZzPH1JUddW #PitchPerfect2 pic.twitter.com/5tGN4c5pmy
— People magazine (@people) May 5, 2015
Anna Kendrick’s fear of unemployment is compounded by gender inequality.
“All the films nominated [for a Best Picture Oscar] this year had male leads. Like, every single one,” said Anna Kendrick. “So I’m glad that [equality’s] feeling like a bigger issue now … There’s [a film I’m considering] now where I have to wait for all the male roles to be cast before I can even become a part of the conversation. Part of me gets that. [But] part of me is like, ‘What the f—? You have to cast for females based on who’s cast as males?'”
#AnnaKendrick Rips Hollywood Gender Bias in New Interview: "What the F—?" http://t.co/D8Lg5B3jHx pic.twitter.com/4kmmoaDsDL
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 6, 2015
“To me, the only explanation is that there are so many f—ing talented girls, and from a business standpoint it’s easier to find women to match the men. I totally stand by the belief that there are 10 unbelievably talented women for every role.”