In the new September issue, Elle collaborated with 35 of today's most successful and accomplished 30-year-old women in the world to form their 2015 "This is 30" list. Young actress and singer Anna Kendrick has been dominating the box office ever since the release of her 2012 hit movie, Pitch Perfect, so it's no surprise why the magazine selected her as one of the lucky few to be featured in the special issue. During her interview, Kendrick opened up about embracing a new beginning to life in her 30s, her motto, and why it's always important to have a backup plan.
Kendrick is becoming a household name in Hollywood after starring in major motion pictures like the Twilight series alongside Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, End of Watch with Jake Gyllenhaal, ParaNorman with Leslie Mann, Cake with Jennifer Aniston, as well as the fantasy musical, Into the Woods, alongside Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt. While showing off her acting and singing capabilities to the world is something Kendrick dreamed of since she was little, she doesn't believe shutting out other career opportunities to focus one is smart.
"I got some terrible advice when I was really young, which was to not have a backup plan," said Kendrick. "It really is terrible advice, but I followed it. I had this singularity of focus. I never got to the point where I ever considered seriously doing something else."
A photo posted by Elle Magazine (@elleusa) on Aug 17, 2015 at 12:40pm PDT
Even though she describes herself as "pretty useless" in the kitchen, the Portland native likes to cook in her downtime. According to Kendrick, her cooking skills improved by 10 percent from last year and she's hoping to increase her skills even more this time around. There's one dish in particular she's really hoping to master: an apple pie with her grandmother's homemade pie crust. She recalls her grandmother trying to teach her the recipe before she passed away, but the cooking lesson didn't end too well.
Working in Hollywood can expose you to a lot of different things, both good and bad, which is why some celebrities try to follow personal mantras to keep them grounded. Kendrick adopted one while participating in the interview that could be applied to a person of any social or economic status: "Don't be a pretentious f**kface." Can you blame her for being honest? There are a few people who could benefit from piggybacking off of this motto (cough cough, Donald Trump, cough cough).
The future looks bright for the 30-year-old actress as she continues to take her career one step at a time. She's hoping her new age will give her a pass for wanting to be in the house a little after midnight. Kendrick currently has two films in post-production for next year and is currently filming a comedy called Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, starring Parks & Recreation's Aubrey Plaza ( who happens to be her BFF) and We Are Your Friends actor Zac Efron.
What does 30 look like? @oliviawilde @americaferrera, @annakendrick47 and more prove, the answer is: Everything. #thisis30 A video posted by Elle Magazine (@elleusa) on Aug 17, 2015 at 12:11pm PDT
"I just hope that I'm still working and enjoying it. I guess that's what I hope I never lose sight of, that this is all supposed to be fun. This is my dream. I never want to get to a place where I feel like I have to work just to keep with the Joneses or something. I hope I'm still enjoying it. "
The September issue of Elle is in stores now. The "This is 30" list also features Empire actress Grace Gealey, Orange is the New Black's Taylor Schilling, the world's youngest female self-made billionaire, Elizabeth Holmes, Nasty Gal's Sophia Amoruso and so much more.
