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Hollywood Insider: Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively talk of their kissing scene in ‘A Simple Favor’


Los Angeles — We recently talked to the lovely Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively and the two talented actors shared with us their experience working with each other in the Paul Feig-helmed film “A Simple Favor.”

"A Simple Story" follows mom blogger, Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), as she tries to look for her mysterious rich friend, Emily Nelson, who suddenly goes missing.

Based on the 2017 novel of the same title by Darcey Bell, the mystery-comedy-thriller also stars “Crazy Rich Asians” actor Henry Golding, cast as Sean Nelson (Blake Lively’s character Emily Nelson’s husband). 

Below are excerpts of our conversations with them:

 

PHOTO COURTESY OF JANET SUSAN R. NEPALES/HFPA.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JANET SUSAN R. NEPALES/HFPA.

Anna Kendrick

On her kissing scene with Blake Lively

I always feel when I’m in a kissing scene with a guy I’m the one… I have gum, I have mints, I’m flossing, because I’m so self-conscious. And I think that’s just what girls usually do. So Blake and I were both going off and having all these mints. It was the minty-est (sic) fresh kiss in the history of cinema that’s ever been committed to film.

But I will say, there was an interesting thing where Blake and I, neither of us wanted to be the aggressor in that scene. Blake worried that because I am in this vulnerable state and I’m crying, she worried that it would look like she was taking advantage and I worried that it would look like I take it too far, that she’s just giving me a quick peck. I misinterpret the situation. So it was really interesting having a kiss with a female because it was a very different dynamic from a guy who just puts out his cigarette and is, ok let’s go.

On how many times they had to do the kissing scene

I think we only did it two or three times. We’re professionals, we get it right.

On whether she has been ever underestimated

I love it. I love being underestimated. It’s my favorite thing; it makes it so easy to impress people. I really couldn’t agree more. And I think that being underestimated is part of where your power comes from and knowing that being sparkly and shiny and being the person in the room that everybody looks at is an asset. But that isn’t where your power comes from so you can’t compete with that and try to say, look over here, I can be sparkly and shiny. You have to learn that your power comes from something else. I really have no complaints about people underestimating me; it’s honestly one of my favorite things.

On wanting to be friends with someone she really admires

Oh god, so many people. Right now Sandra Oh. I just finished “Killing Eve” and I want to be her best friend so badly. All the obvious ones: Beyoncé and Rihanna. But I think I might be too dorky to be friends with musicians, they seem so cool. Patricia Clarkson and Viola Davis, so many actress girl crushes.

I do talk about Patricia Clarkson so much that she was at a party once and she was across the room…and I don’t know for sure that word got back to her that I’m obsessed with her…but she saw me from across the room and came over and introduced herself. And maybe I’m projecting but I did sort of think that she might have seen me and been, I know, you’re welcome, I’m incredible.  And walked over to me, I’m going to make your day.

On what attracts her

Honestly, I think when somebody understands you, right? You just want to feel seen and understood. If a guy really likes me and he’s talking… I’m so drawn to you and I like you so much. And I’m, I don’t think you know who I am at all and I don’t think you see me. It just feels like when somebody puts you on a pedestal. I don’t think that’s sexy. I feel that’s something that’s kind of dealt with in the film where Blake and I, our characters shouldn’t get along but there’s something there where it’s, I see what’s going on with you and I see that you’re more vulnerable than you’re letting on. There’s something so freeing about that.

 

PHOTO COURTESY OF JANET SUSAN R. NEPALES/HFPA
PHOTO COURTESY OF JANET SUSAN R. NEPALES/HFPA

BLAKE LIVELY

On whether she fangirls over people

I fangirl a lot. I am just like the person who should not be let into Hollywood or anywhere because I see people and, like I am presenting at the VMA’s and that is going to be really hard for me because all I can think of is Britney Spears ripping off her suit and the thing underneath.  So there are plenty of people I fangirl over.

But Anna Kendrick is a person I fangirl over because I am so geeked out by her talent and being in a scene with her, and also, she has a similar sense of humor like my husband, who we all know how I feel about.  So I am a little bit confused how I feel about her when I am around her because she is just so funny and so charming.  But there are plenty of people.

Recently, someone on Twitter found a photo of a Spice Girls concert where we had met and I remember feeling so cool that a little girl actually thought that I was Baby Spice.  I was ten and all I wanted to do was be Baby Spice. Then Baby Spice commented on the photo and I just couldn’t believe that she knows who I am. My husband said yeah, I totally talked about you in interviews with her and I said it will never be normal to me that Baby Spice knows who I am.  I can’t even fathom that and I am still very much a fangirl at heart.

On what she feels is sexy

Well ball gags, (laughter) oh, that is not what you were going for? Sorry.  (laughter) What do I find sexy?  For me, the way this character was written, was that she was wearing Herve Leger bandage dresses that are skin tight and her chest is falling out of her shirt and these high heels and short dresses and we see that on like every Bravo show, we don’t need to see that here.  Like to me what would be sexy is to contain all of that.  Because I remember when we first pitched this to the studio, it was like fine, you can wear men’s suits, but let’s not wear a shirt underneath and wear some sexy, slinky necklaces and I thought why when women wear suits they don’t get to wear a shirt?

I love not wearing a shirt under my suits, but why can’t we also be buttoned up to the neck?  And to me, I think that that’s really sexy what we don’t see and if sexuality comes out of something and you are covered from head to toe, that is so much more tantalizing because you think oh what is underneath?  And when you do see any skin, it’s an opportunity to have even more power.  So when I take Anna back to my house and I take off my jacket, it’s not what you think it is.  So you think I have got a shirt underneath, but actually I have got stripper cuffs like a Chippendale, and a breakaway shirt, and it’s just like aren’t no thing.  And so there is an opportunity for comedy through the personal fashion.

On working with Henry Golding

I have been hearing people call him the new Cary Grant, which I think is a nice way to capture him, because he has a bit of old Hollywood elegance which I so appreciate, because I don’t know, I really like it when a man carries that.  It’s also neat to work with someone who has so much to offer and is also at the beginning of their career in a lot of ways.

So when we screen tested with him, Paul wasn’t looking for any specific person or any specific type, he just wanted the best person for the role and someone who could believably be with both of these women and because our characters could not be more different, you had to have somebody who you liked enough and trusted enough.  Because also what he does is terrible, but you have to still like him and every single one of the characters, all that they are doing is terrible, but you still like them all.  So he was just dreamy and wonderful.

 

PHOTO COURTESY OF JANET SUSAN R. NEPALES/HFPA
PHOTO COURTESY OF JANET SUSAN R. NEPALES/HFPA

PAUL FEIG

On his love for the murder mystery genre

I love thrillers. They are my favorite movies to watch. I'm a huge Hitchcock fan and big Patricia Highsmith fan.  I love all of those books and so I was always looking for my own kind of Hitchcockian thriller to do. I'm not good at writing that so when this script came in, it was like this is perfect because if you look at all my movies, they are genre movies from the wedding movie to a buddy cop comedy to a spy movie. So when this came through, it just felt like this is a chance to get to do all the things I love — two amazing roles for women.

I was really drawn to how fashionable I could make it but also I call this movie suburban noir because it takes place in the suburbs. But the idea that this creature drops into this world in Blake Lively and into this nerdy little mom's life just felt like that was the fun way to get introduced. I did the same thing in “Bridesmaids.”

I like to take fashion and just push it just a little bit further than you normally would just so as an audience you're like omigod, when somebody shows up in an outfit and Blake Lively walking into a park in a tuxedo with pink gloves I think that says it all.

On casting Asian actor Henry Golding as Blake Lively’s husband

Poor Henry.  He's not a good looking man so somehow he'll get by in the world.

I really wanted to have like Cary Grant in this movie basically. When Anna meets Emily's husband it needs to be like she's seeing Nick and Nora Charles, you know.  She's like oh, who is this beautiful erudite couple that are making fun of each other and kissing in front of her and all that and so I how do I describe this?  I was trying to figure out like who I could get that was new.

My wife is a huge fan of the “Crazy Rich Asians” books and so she knew that they had found this guy in this worldwide search. So she's like, you should try to look into him. So I went online and saw all his travel show hosting and I fell in love with him because he's so likable. He's got such charisma and he's funny and all that. So then I called up Jon Chu who directed “Crazy Rich Asians” and said so is he for real and Jon said you're going to love him.  He's so good and he's so “directable” and he's the nicest guy. So I did a bunch of screen-tests and I had to push a little bit to get him approved because he didn't have any credits. But everyone fell in love with him. I think he is the greatest.  I think he is such a movie star.  He should be in all my movies if I can and I'm very happy for him.

On the kissing scene of Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick

Honestly, the kissing scene of Blake and Anna was an interesting scene.  A lot of people kept wanting me to not to cut that out of the script because I think there was a thought that it might play exploitative or something and to me that's the whole movie that scene because Anna Kendrick's character is so desperately lonely and so desperate for just any kind of validation and affection. Then it just sums up Blake Lively's character who was like this is just how she goes through life — very fluid and moments happen. She's in it and so I just love that they have this kiss and Anna's very like horrified by it and Blake's like you want to get pizza.

I only did three takes of that and I just think it's the most beautifully played scene the way that Anna comes in. For Blake, it's just trying to make her feel better and she starts to pull back and Anna keeps going in further.  I had chills when we shot it because it accomplished everything I wanted without feeling exploitative or anything like that. — AT, GMA News

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