As I delve into the captivating world of Elizabeth Banks and her directorial journey, it’s impossible not to be inspired by her empowering words. Her ability to embrace her unique talents, her fearlessness in taking risks, and her unwavering confidence in her own abilities are truly remarkable.
Anna Kendrick and I are discussing soundbite culture.
She’s taking it easy following a day filled with interviews for her first directorial project, “Woman of the Hour.” In this intriguing film, she’s skillfully handling the complex task of generating excitement about a chilling true tale that revolves around the time when a notorious serial killer appeared on “The Dating Game.
The Netflix-streamed film offers an unconventional perspective within the true crime genre. Instead of centering around the reasons behind the killer or his apprehension, it delves deeper into the intricate ways women maneuver through society to ensure their safety, making it challenging to summarize with catchy one-liners.
As we stroll towards Kendrick’s hotel room, I make a humorous comment about someone asking her to sing while discussing serial killers (no disrespect intended to my fellow journalists, because four-minute interviews are challenging). Kendrick suppresses a chuckle with a hand over her mouth. After all, when it comes to promoting a film, she knows the drill – and given her 70 screen credits spanning “Pitch Perfect,” “Trolls,” “Twilight” franchises, an Academy Award-nominated performance in “Up in the Air,” she certainly gets it.
Despite having extensive experience in the industry, Kendrick was taken aback by the extent to which she was asked to discuss herself. Although she is the lead actress portraying Sheryl, the bachelorette who unwittingly selected serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) for a television dream date, Kendrick believed her role as director would allow her to concentrate more on the cast and crew’s accomplishments. However, most inquiries revolved around her transition from acting to directing (including this conversation — my apologies!) or what it’s like being a female filmmaker.
She mentions that she finds it simpler to delve deeply into specific instances from certain scenes or movies that served as inspirations, rather than addressing the most common questions such as ‘What led you to this project?’ and ‘Why did you decide to direct?'” She takes a sip from her coffee cup containing a few shots of neat whiskey. Wrapping herself in a sweater, she makes her outfit more comfortable, creating an atmosphere akin to sharing stories around a campfire, with both of them holding their mugs similarly.
Kendrick admits that people often assume she should articulately discuss the distinct challenges of being a female director. Yet, she feels it’s not her place to address such broad issues since she has only directed once in this capacity.
However, as she moved from one job interview to another, Kendrick discovered a subtle yet important difference: directing “Woman of the Hour” demanded a level of vulnerability that surpassed what she experienced while writing her memoir, “Scrappy Little Nobody,” in 2016.
Kendrick explains that the tales he shared were drawn from his personal experiences, yet he crafted them in a manner that was frequently humorous and meant to amuse. However, he notes that even though these new stories aren’t from his life, it feels risky to disclose such intimate details. He expresses that it seems as if he’s exposing aspects of myself in every scene, whether I intend to or not.
As a movie enthusiast, I found myself resonating with Edgar Wright’s revelation about his film “Shaun of the Dead” being deeply personal to him as its director. It’s fascinating because, regardless of the topic or the movie’s mood, it seems like you can’t help but reveal pieces of yourself in your work. This self-disclosure can be quite unnerving.
So, what did Kendrick reveal in “Woman of the Hour”?
She remarks, “Every scene in the film mirrors my own fear,” she notes. “It seems no coincidence that I connected with this script during a period when I had experienced something incredibly painful and life-altering, which significantly shifted my perspective on the world.
In 2022, while advocating for the indie film “Alice, Darling” which portrays a woman in an abusive relationship, Kendrick shared her own past experiences with emotional abuse. She agreed to star in both this film and “Woman of the Hour,” which also tackle themes of gender-based violence. However, it took longer to secure funding for “Woman of the Hour.” Later, when the original director of “Woman of the Hour” left just six weeks before production, Kendrick proposed herself to take up directing duties instead.
She mentions that the film seems to show aspects of her ongoing growth and healing process that aren’t yet complete,” she explains.
And that’s why her interviews involved a surprising amount of crying.
At some point, I found myself thinking, ‘This is starting to feel like a calculated maneuver.’ Frankly, it’s quite humiliating,” Kendrick expresses, sounding slightly frustrated with the situation. “I’m trying to address everything honestly because this…”, She pauses, holding back tears that brim in her eyes. “No, I won’t give in,” she tells herself, but eventually reaches for a tissue – reluctantly – and carries on with her thoughts.
She clarifies that she’s juggling between expressing her thoughts somewhat casually yet honestly about the topic, and she’s making a conscious effort to avoid using overly-rehearsed phrases. She acknowledges that some interviews might seem repetitive, but she’s striving to avoid soundbites because every aspect of the movie is significant to her. Leaning closer to the recording device for emphasis, she assures, ‘I’m not speaking this way due to being tipsy; I’ve only had four sips of alcohol, and then I find myself getting emotional during interviews.’
Honestly, it’s not the whiskey; it’s the soberness of the material.
Kendrick notes that there’s a unique, covert form of communication among women, often employed to navigate tricky situations. The intriguing aspect is that its effectiveness stems from the fact that it remains concealed.
The question that hangs over so many interactions that people have is: “Do you see me as human? Am I safe with you? Who are you underneath your mask?” she explains. “And the fact that we won’t get satisfying answers to that, and yet we have to continue living our lives, is complicated.”
Occasionally, there were disagreements with some male directors over the symbolism of specific scenes in the movie. They’d say things like, “I’m not convinced that scene is clear.” To which I would respond, “Trust me, it is.” If men watching the film don’t fully comprehend a certain moment, that’s okay with me. I prefer the portrayal to be closer to my own life experiences, and I believe it represents the lived experiences of many women.
Kendrick’s gut feeling proved correct when she covertly attended the movie trial, disguising herself in the dark by wearing a pulled-down baseball cap and a mask.
Her close-knit group of directors, including Paul Feig, Cord Jefferson, Jake Johnson, and Brittany Snow, had shared their insights with her about what she might encounter. She remembers them saying, “One individual will despise your film.” “One person who’s not particularly bright and may struggle to understand it.” “Someone who adores it.” “And one fellow who believes himself to be a modern-day Orson Welles, claiming he’ll create the next ‘Citizen Kane.’ And remarkably, each prediction turned out to be accurate.
But one person’s reaction blew Kendrick away.
“One woman in the focus group really seemed to get what I was going for. At a certain point, she was talking about how it felt like an exploration of the fawn trauma response,” Kendrick says, referring to the body’s stress response of trying to please someone to avoid conflict. “I was gripping my chair because I was so excited, because that’s exactly what I was trying to do.” It turns out that audience member works with domestic violence survivors. “That was very, very cool and encouraging.”
Another reason Kendrick has been frequently emotional is due to her stepping into her “tender phase.” For instance, when she and her fellow “Pitch Perfect” cast members Kelly Jakle (who’s also featured in “Woman of the Hour”) and Chrissie Fit encountered a billboard for “Woman of the Hour” while driving in LA, Kendrick broke down in tears. Fit recorded this emotional moment on camera, which garnered hundreds of thousands of likes on Instagram.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Anna Kendrick (@annakendrick47)
She expresses that moment as something truly unique, having experienced it with her closest companions. “It’s almost too much,” she admits, feeling overpowered by the situation. There are instances where she finds herself thinking, “I was once a ruthless worker and a mercenary,” but then she recalls her decision to start therapy. She struggles to return to her old ways now, saying, “It’s like I can’t stop the flow from this new emotional openness.” Despite this being unfamiliar ground for her, she tries to view it as a beneficial change.
Kendrick’s emotional openness was incredibly valuable on set, especially when collaborating with her youngest cast member, Autumn Best, who is making her screen debut in this film. They developed a strong connection, and Kendrick becomes teary-eyed recounting her role – notably during the movie’s dramatic finale, where Best’s character, Amy (a runaway teen), awakens in the desert after being assaulted by Alcala.
Before the following scene, Kendrick simply advised Best by saying, “Whatever you’re going to perform next is incredibly unique, and it all originates from deep within you. No one else has any influence over your upcoming success except for you. Trust your intuition.
Kendrick was simultaneously guiding her actor and conversing with her past self – the one daring enough to stand behind the camera. “It was crucial for me to express, ‘Everything unique about you originates from you, not anyone else.’ People are there to aid in some aspects of this, but everything strong within you is solely you.
Oh, and for the record, Kendrick does sing in the movie — though you’d probably never realize it.
It turns out, Kendrick shared an unusual concept with composers Dan Romer and Mike Tuccillo – a notion where the females in the movie, beyond her own character, symbolize the four fundamental elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
Kendrick says, ‘If that idea sparks something for you, feel free to run with it. But if not, no worries, I understand it might seem unusual.’ However, they embraced it wholeheartedly!
Romer and Tuccillo ingeniously incorporated elements like crackling fire and crashing waves into the music score subtly. Later, Romer came up with the idea to incorporate vocals. Fortunately, Kendrick had a group of singers on board, such as Jakle, along with Broadway performers Nicolette Robinson and Kathryn Gallagher (a Tony Award nominee). “I’m the least talented singer here,” Kendrick quips humorously.
In the studio, Romer asked everyone to sing Gregorian chants. It was spontaneous, discordant, and strangely chilling for everyone. Kendrick describes the final output as typically inserted into the script at a point where the character perceives danger. Therefore, it seems like countless women trying to break through the screen to alert her.
In the course of their meeting, Kendrick requested Jakle, whom she had grown very familiar with through the “Pitch Perfect” series in terms of vocal tone, to sing a particular note. This note was intended for Alcala to perform when he suddenly recognizes that he’s been apprehended at last.
Kendrick asked Kelly to hit a very high, crisp note as he felt it would make the scene’s resolution particularly moving,” Kendrick explains. “This is the only spot in the musical score where the vocals find resolution, and it coincides precisely with the moment when justice could potentially be delivered.
Kendrick’s extensive understanding of filmmaking and how each collaborator’s abilities complement one another resulted in the intricate details we see. However, she’d never acknowledge this. Instead, she finds it delightful to contribute a touch of creativity to the project.
Kendrick expresses continual amazement at everyone’s readiness to collaborate on certain projects and contribute their unique abilities without pushing personal agendas. She finds it incredibly gracious and almost hard to believe,” Kendrick says, her eyes sparkling slightly.
As a passionate film enthusiast, I’ve been pondering over my next directorial project, and it seems like Kendrick is finding herself in a similar quandary. In her own words, “This script has struck a chord with me like no other, and the prospect of working with this talented cast and crew for at least two years is both exhilarating and terrifying.
She’s open to exploring different themes. “I was drawn to increasingly intense subject matter,” she mentioned, “but lately, I’ve been feeling a bit brighter in my personal life.” This has led to a familiar situation where art mirrors life. Now, I find myself attracted to scripts that are more energetic and may contain female assertiveness. This shift seems like a positive progression on my personal journey as well.
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2024-10-22 19:18