Anna Kendrick is walking on ‘Air’

A veteran performer from the age of 12, when her turn in a Broadway production of “High Society” earned her a Tony Award nomination in 1998, Anna Kendrick has steadily built an impressive résumé on film with confident, eye-catching performances in such indies as “Camp” and “Rocket Science,” both of which earned her Independent Spirit Award nominations. Her profile rose considerably with a supporting turn as Jessica Stanley in “Twilight” and its sequel “New Moon,” but it’s Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air” that has critics and audiences taking full notice of Kendrick’s talents.

As an aggressive corporate downsizer who has streamlined the industry’s method of eliminating employees via video conference, Kendrick is both arresting and heartbreakingly vulnerable.

-- Paul Gaita You’ve said that the idea of being cast in “Up in the Air” was somewhat daunting.

Yes. Being in a movie directed by Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney would probably be daunting for anyone, but when I was cast, I kept thinking -- for whatever reason -- “They know I’m from Maine, right?”

What does that mean?

It’s just the strangest thing to come from a place that couldn’t be further away from this whole world, and to wind up in a movie like this just made me feel like, “How can I be the same person who went to Deering High School in Portland, Maine, and be in a movie like this?”

So how did you get past those thoughts?

I met George and Jason, and they were the coolest human beings on Earth. It was such an incredibly supportive set and environment. I couldn’t have done it without either of them.

George Clooney has a reputation for being a world-class prankster when the cameras aren’t rolling. Was that your experience with him?

No pranks, but he’s definitely a joker. He was playing Nerf football around my head when I would try to prepare for a scene. He has a teenager’s energy, and it made me feel like the on-set mom, like, “C’mon, you guys, focus . . .”

Do you know people like your character, Natalie, in real life?

I know a bunch of girls, myself included, who are almost like Natalie. There’s a frustration that comes along with being female, and there’s a sense that if you can swim with the sharks and be one of the boys -- if you can conquer that -- that’s where a lot of her personality comes from. I don’t know anyone who’s gone fully into that world, but there is a temptation, I think, in every girl’s life to do so.

In learning to swim with the sharks, do you think that people like Natalie have to sacrifice something of themselves to achieve that goal?

Yes. At the end of the day, she has it all wrong, and she finds that out over the course of the film. She believes that because she’s worked harder than the person next to her for her entire life, her entire life will fall into place. And eventually there comes a moment in her life when she’s accepting the idea of compromise for the first time.

Some might perceive Natalie as simply the film’s villain. Can you talk about the challenges of making her a more complex character?

She really falls apart and falls hard, and I wanted to protect her, in a sense, and let her maintain some level of dignity, but she completely falls apart and lets go. That was tricky for me, because I felt that she wanted to hide more. But Jason really pushed me to let go, and I’m glad that he did.

How would you describe working with Reitman?

He’s so intuitive and brilliant. It was really nice to be challenged by someone like that every day. The day that I did the firing over the video conference was a really hard day for me, and he and George were both so attentive in the most subtle and quiet and creative ways. That made feel like they were there for me without ever having to say it. There were times when Jason would be in the room with me, and he would read lines with me, just because it was a vulnerable day. And to be surrounded by that kind of big-brother feeling made it a lot easier.

There are a lot of people who are calling you a contender for the award season. What is your reaction?

I’m beyond thrilled that people like the movie and my performance. But as far as that “buzz” word, it’s really strange. It’s that same feeling -- don’t you know I’m from Maine? It almost feels like if people saw how often I’m on the verge of falling apart, there’s no way they’d be using my name in the same sentence as “Oscar.”

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