Anna Kendrick on respecting boundaries when dating and the ‘guy you don’t want to be with’
‘I’m just so happy that I’m clearer now about what I will accept from people in my life,’ actor says
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Your support makes all the difference.Anna Kendrick has emphasised the importance of setting boundaries when you are dating, recalling how she once broke up with someone because he did not respect her.
This month, Kendrick’s television series Love Life is set to be released on HBO Max.
The 10-episode series follows a series of friends as they navigate a variety of relationships, from first loves to long-term partnerships.
During a recent interview with the Sydney Morning Herald’s Sunday Life supplement, Kendrick opened up about her own dating history and the lesson about boundaries she was taught at a young age.
The Pitch Perfect star said that she “cringed” at the way that she, “and so many women that I know”, dating men when they were in their early 20s, “the way we were so awkward and needy and clingy”.
“Looking back now, it’s like, ‘Oh god, I acted like such a jerk in that relationship.’ Or all the times I didn’t feel strong enough to say, ‘You can’t speak to me that way.’ I’m just so happy that I’m clearer now about what I will accept from people in my life.”
The 34-year-old continued, explaining how the themes of Love Life reminded her of certain parts of her life.
“When I was maybe 14 or 15, somebody gave me this specific example, that if you’re ever in a car with a guy, and he’s driving, and as as joke he lets go of the wheel and makes you grab it, that is not a guy you want to be with,” she said.
“He might say, ‘Hey, I’m just joking, why are you being so sensitive?’ But really, he’s testing your boundaries and what you’re willing to put up with and trying to make you uncomfortable.”
Kendrick recollected a relationship she had in her late teens, when her partner would frequently tickle her despite her requesting him not to.
“It sounds silly, but I dated a guy when I was 19 who tickled me all the time and I don’t like being tickled, because it makes me claustrophonic. So I kept saying, ‘This is a problem for me. Please don’t do it’,” she stated.
“But kept doing it and I thought, ‘He’s the guy with the steering wheel!’ So, I broke up with him and he told everyone it was because he tickled me. I was like, ‘No, dude, I broke up with you because you didn’t respect me!’”
During the interview, Kendrick also spoke about why she’s not interested in filming nude scenes, joking that she found a “new appreciation for people who own sex dolls” while she was filming Quibi series Dummy.
The actor said that she’s “never had a problem with simulated sex scenes”.
“That feels like it’s about the character, whereas I only get one body, so nudity is more about me,” she explained.
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