Anna Kendrick on Jake Gyllenhaal, Feminism, and “Into the Woods”

Anna Kendrick has become one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood, despite the criticism she has received for her looks. After making a name for herself in movies such as Twilight, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and cult hit Pitch Perfect, the actress has now been cast in half a dozen movies set to release within the next year.

Kendrick’s latest role will be Cinderella in Into the Woods, which opens on Christmas day. The movie is a Rob Marshall-directed adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. As part of her media tour in the run-up to the movie’s release Kendrick this week sat down with The Daily Beast to talk movies, Disney, and feminism.

Kendrick kicked off the interview by playfully criticizing Jake Gyllenhall, who she starred with in 2012’s End of Watch. Gyllenhaal was originally cast as Rapunzel’s prince in Into the Woods, but later backed out. Instead, Gyllenhaal took on the more serious role of a disturbed crime paparazzi cameraman in Nightcrawler – a role for which he has generated some Oscar buzz.

Kendrick said she texted Gyllenhaal after he dropped out of the project, sarcastically telling him that he was “abandoning” her. After seeing a Nightcrawler trailer she said she texted him again, telling him that he “inspires” her.

From there the interview questions got a bit more personal.

Kendrick agreed with the interviewer that the female characters in Into the Woods are more “modern” than their Disney counterparts. She then stated that she interprets feminism to mean supporting gender equality and laments the fact that the word has become a slur used by “the wrong people…and misinterpreted by those people.” She went on to say that she receives “crazy” replies on Twitter and that she admires the women involved in the #GamerGate controversy.

Kendrick declined to talk on the record about her part in the recent celebrity nude photo leaks. She did say, however, that the “one and only good thing” to come out of the photo leaks was to shift the media conversation away from blaming the victims of such leaks.