Anna Kendrick says she needed ‘boundaries’ after answering abuse questions on Alice, Darling press tour

Anna Kendrick has reflected on her recent press tour in support of her new film Alice, Darling, saying that she doesn’t think she “can do another thing like that” again.

The thriller drama stars Kendrick as the titular Alice, a woman who’s stuck in an emotionally abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Simon (Charlie Carrick).

In previous interviews, the actor has opened up about her personal connection to the project, sharing her personal experience of surviving “emotional abuse”.

But more recently, she has looked back on the effects of repeatedly talking about her connection to the subject matter in public.

“People have asked me, ‘Was it challenging to shoot the movie?’ and I guess that question makes sense,” Kendrick told IndieWire in a new interview.

“But I’m actually finding that the press is the thing that has been a little trickier to navigate, making sure that I’m ok and feeling safe in my body,” she said.

She then recalled an earlier experience doing a “junket-style day” for the film, in which she would run “through 30 interviews really quickly” each around “six minutes per person”.

“I went home and was in the shower and was like, ‘Why do I feel so s***ty right now?’ And I sort of told everyone, ‘I don’t think I can do another thing like that’,” Kendrick said of the experience.

“I totally get it’s no journalist’s job to show up for me in the same headspace that I’m in,” she acknowledged, “but I’m trying really hard to go into these conversations really open, and it feels kind of strange to be talking to somebody who clearly just has a million things to do that day.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I need to draw a boundary there. I can’t really be talking about this in that style of conversation’,” Kendrick added.

During a December appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the Pitch Perfect star shared how the film was a “cathartic” experience.

“The movie was so personal, there was a point where I was like ‘Oh, I don’t know if this is too soon to be doing this role,’” Kendrick said at the time.

Alice, Darling is out now in US cinemas and will be released in the UK on Friday 20 January.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247, or visit their website here.