High Society Girl

Background:

“An actor should always let humility outweigh ambition.” Anna Kendrick.

Up-and-coming actress Anna Kendrick has already made waves by the time she was 13 when she became the second youngest Tony nominee, thanks to the portrayal of Dinah Lord in the 1998 Broadway musical adaptation of the 1956 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, "High Society," whch also won her Drama League and Drama Desk Awards.

The 5' 4" with blue eyes also garnered praise for her performances in the films "Camp" (2003) and "Rocket Science" (2007). Next, she will star in the upcoming films "Elsewhere," "Twilight," and "The Marc Pease Experience."

Hyperactive Kid

Childhood and Family:

“[I was] one of those hyperactive kids who wanted to jump around and sing and dance and scream and be on stage.” Anna Kendrick.

Born in Portland, Maine, on August 9, 1985, Anna Kendrick attended Deering High School in Portland, Maine. Her older brother, Michael Cooke Kendrick (born on March 2, 1983), is also an actor.

Rocket Science

Career:

"I always knew Anna was special....it just took a little longer for the industry to realize that." Anna Kendrick's longtime manager Kim Matuka.

Since the age of 10, Anna Kendrick, who lists Parker Posey, Molly Shannon and Amy Poehler as her inspirations, has been signed with Online Talent Group. At age 13, she hit it big when she appeared as Dinah Lord in the 1998 Broadway musical "High Society" (April 27, 1998 - August 30, 1998), an adaptation of the 1956 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film that was in turn, was based on the play "The Philadelphia Story" by Philip Barry. Her brilliant performance in the play earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress (Featured Role – Musical), making her the second youngest nominee (after 1991's Tony winner in the same category, Daisy Eagan) in Tony history. She also won a Drama League and a Drama Desk Award for her role.

Following her first big break, Kendrick appeared as herself in the PBS arts anthology series "Great Performances" and in My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies (1999; TV), where she was a lead performer with Cabaret's Kit Kit Club at Carnegie Hall Live.

In 2003, Kendrick returned to the stage to play Fredrika Armfeldt, a young girl shipped by her selfish actress mother to live with her grandmother, in the musical inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film "Smiles of a Summer Night," "A Little Night Music," at New York City Opera.

That same year, she also appeared in a comedic TV movie called "The Mayor" and made her film debut in Todd Graff's independent film "Camp," which focuses on an upstate New York performing arts summer camp. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and Kendrick's turn as Fritzi, who slavishly serves a glamour girl (played by Alana Allen), earned her Best Debut Performance nomination at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards and Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 2004 Chlotrudis Awards.

When asked about the difference between herself and her "Camp" character, Kendrick said, "I do have a passion for theater. But I try my best not to stalk people."

After having a normal live as teenager during her four-year hiatus, Kendrick returned to acting and was spotted as a guest in an October 2007 episode of the CBS musical-dramedy "Viva Laughlin," an adaptation of the popular BBC British serial, "Blackpool."

"Having seen 'Rocket Science' (2007) I feel maybe more timid than I have ever felt in my life because several people think I should be this really intimidating person. I don't want people to think I'm that big of a b**** in real life but I get very sheepish because I want to differentiate myself." Anna Kendrick.

She also made her second film, "Rocket Science" (2007), writer/director Jeffrey Blitz's comedy-drama film concerning high school debate in which she starred opposite Reece Thompson, playing Ginny Ryerson, his love interest and the high school debate team star. Her performance earned her another Independent Spirit Award nomination, this time for Best Supporting Female.

About her character in the film, Kendrick commented, "The great thing for me about Ginny was what a surprise she was, in that she's this teenage girl who is the most articulate and confident and powerful character maybe in the whole movie. So often, when you read teenage girl [characters], they're very vapid and flighty and are just there to look pretty."

Kendrick has completed her new film, a crime/thriller directed and written by Nathan Hope in which she stars as a star pupil and athlete who has long befriended a star mischief-maker (played Tania Raymonde). She will soon wrap "Twilight," an upcoming film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling young adult vampire novel in which she portrays Jessica Stanley, Bella's (played by Kristen Stewart) first friend in Forks, a chatterbox who tends to be more interested in Bella's popularity than Bella's actual character.

Kendrick will also play the female lead, opposite Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman, in an upcoming comedy movie helmed by Todd Louiso, "The Marc Pease Experience." She recalled the first day of shooting the film, "The very first thing that I shot was doing vocal warm-ups with Ben's character. He's my music teacher and I thought I was going to throw up all day. We had to do a-capella vocal warm-ups, just scales on whatever syllable he felt like saying. He just kept going and improving. It was like poobah, and peebo and moopie. Whatever he'd say, I'd have to sing that. Everybody thought it was so funny but I'm like 'I'm going to kill you'."

And when asked who is the best kisser out of her “Marc Pease” co-stars (Ben Stiller or Jason Schwartzman), she replied, "That's awful! One has a serious girlfriend and one has a wife! I can't."

Awards:

• Drama League: "High Society," 1998

• Drama Desk: "High Society," 1998