Anna Kendrick reveals why she doesn’t want to be a bridesmaid. Ever.

People


Anna Kendrick reveals why she doesn’t want to be a bridesmaid. Ever.

By Kayleigh Dray

9 years ago

Ask any bride, and she’ll tell you that being asked to be her bridesmaid is an enormous honour and privilege.

But, if you talk to the bridesmaids themselves, you’ll quickly discover that it’s also a serious pain in the backside. Not only are there questionable dress choices and expensive hen parties to contend with, but you’re also expected to perform any number of duties leading up to the big day (DIY table decorations, anyone?). And, while it’s fun to be part of the wedding party, there’s no denying that it’s a big relief when the bride’s big day is finally over.

So perhaps it’s understandable, then, to learn that Anna Kendrick doesn’t want to be a bridesmaid. Like. ever.



Sitting down on The Today Show to promote her new movie, Table 19 (which is, fittingly, about a misfit table at a wedding), she explains: “I’ve only been a bridesmaid once.”

The Pitch Perfect star continues: “I feel like I’ve made an effort to not have super close female friends because, at any given point in my life, I have a female friend who’s like ‘I’m on this email chain and it’s about nail polish and we’re all gonna go get manicures and get the same manicures,’ and I’m so terrified of that.”

She added: “I feel like I’m waiting until girls get married and then we can be really close friends.”

And, as if that wasn’t clear enough, she reiterated her position during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

“I try not to [even] get invited to weddings. It's like watching your friends put on a little pageant,” said Kendrick. “And you have to be in a nice dress and talk to people you don’t know.

“I feel like I've potentially avoided making very close female friends 'cause I don't want to be a bridesmaid.

“If you put me on an email chain, and tell me I have to wear ballet pink nail polish, I will kill you where you stand. It's a deal-breaker.”

Kendrick went on to add that she has no time for hen parties either, saying: “No, I’m not having it... I’m not planning a trip to Vegas, I’m not doing any of that.

“I’m a very lazy friend.”



We shouldn’t be all that surprised to hear that Kendrick has no problem turning down her friends when they ask her to be a bridesmaid, as opposed to meekly nodding and taking on a role she doesn’t want. As the actor explained in her book, Scrappy Little Nobody, she has given up on being nice in favour of putting more focus and value on other qualities like passion, intelligence, humour and practicality.

“As Sondheim said, ‘Nice is different than good,’ ” she wrote, before adding that she doesn’t put stock in that trait because it doesn’t come naturally to her.

“I do think that niceness is a set of etiquette and while etiquette is important, I don’t think that it’s more important than core values,” she said.



“You can have really strong core values and kind of be a surly bitch, you know? I always felt like niceness, in the sense that you are following a certain social decorum, was not something that came naturally to me.

“I felt I really beat myself up about it and thought it was something I should really work on and then I thought no, if I actually ask myself, there are qualities that I think are more important and that I think are more valuable.”

Images: Rex Pictures

Share this article

Login To Favourite

Get the Stylist app

Sign in once and stay logged in to access everything you love about Stylist in one place.

QR code

Works on iOS and Android

undefined

By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy

Thank you!

You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.