Anna Kendrick told “CBS Mornings” a past relationship she was in caused her to have a “classic emotional, psychological breakdown.”
She drew from her experiences to play a woman pushed to the breaking point by her psychologically abusive boyfriend in her new film, “Alice, Darling.”
“It was a really sustained period and I really didn’t know what to believe anymore,” Kendrick said. “I really started to wonder if I had a mental health issue.”
Kendrick, who is known for her roles in the “Pitch Perfect” and “Twilight” film franchises, said she began to “dismantle” her life and seek help in getting answers and clarity in the relationship — only to discover that she wasn’t the problem.
“For a year I started just going to therapy and going to Al-Anon. I have this graveyard of self-help books in my house that I look at now and just go like, ‘Oh, man,’ I was looking for answers in the wrong places,” she said.
Kendrick said she believed she was “crazy,” and after her relationship with the unnamed person ended, she was left with a feeling of shame that lingered longer than the other person’s behavior — “Like, how did I become that person?”
In the film, Kendrick’s character receives help in leaving a verbally abusive relationship when her friends step in, something she believes can really help those who are in need.
“We’re so desperate to help them because we love them, that we want to invade and control. And it’s so much harder, but it’s such a radical act of love to go, ‘Whatever you decide to do, I’m going to be here for you,'” said Kendrick.
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