Anna Kendrick is sharing her personal journey of leaving a seven-year abusive relationship, shedding light on the complexities of emotional abuse. In a recent episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, the 39-year-old actress, known for her roles in Twilight and Pitch Perfect, discussed the challenges she faced in recognizing the signs of abuse.
Kendrick did not disclose the identity of her ex-partner, but she expressed how difficult it was for her to identify the nature of her relationship at first. “I was reading all the articles and going, ‘This doesn’t look… like, some of it looks like how they’re describing it, but not completely,'” she said. Kendrick confirmed that the relationship lasted seven years and described a sudden shift in dynamics that left her feeling confused.
“It was like an overnight switch… that went on for about a year,” Kendrick recalled, explaining that the relationship did not follow the typical pattern of gradual escalation. She likened her experience to the metaphor of a frog in boiling water, where the initial signs of distress can be hard to detect. Kendrick noted that the breakup occurred just before she began filming her 2022 movie Alice, Darling, a film that explores themes of emotional abuse.
Reflecting on her mindset during the relationship, Kendrick admitted, “It came out of absolutely nowhere, but was built on this foundation of I had so much love and trust for that person, so I thought it had to be me.” She struggled with self-doubt, often thinking, “Like, if one of us is crazy, it must be me.” This internal conflict made it difficult for her to accept that the issues stemmed from her partner’s behavior rather than her own.
The actress described her attempts to fix herself in light of the relationship’s challenges. “I turned my life completely upside down trying to fix whatever was wrong with me,” she explained. Kendrick also revealed that their couples therapist had initially accepted her ex’s perspective without question. “The therapist just bought his stuff kind of hook, line, and sinker for a long period of time,” she said.
However, a turning point came during a therapy session when Kendrick expressed her frustrations. She recalled, “I yelled in one therapy session,” which prompted a change in the dynamic. Afterward, she emailed her therapist to apologize for her outburst, only to be met with an unexpected response. “He called and told me he was actually ‘so proud’ of me for speaking out,” Kendrick recounted. “Things ended pretty quickly after that,” she added, indicating that her newfound assertiveness played a crucial role in her decision to leave.
Kendrick shared a particularly troubling incident to illustrate the emotional turmoil she faced. “He told me one day I was terrorizing him because I was just crying because I couldn’t pretend that things were fine anymore,” she recounted. Her ex screamed at her, “You’re terrorizing me,” showcasing how individuals caught in abusive relationships can twist the narrative to evade accountability.
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This candid discussion is not Kendrick’s first on the topic of emotional abuse. She previously spoke about her experiences at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival during the world premiere of Alice, Darling, which follows a woman entangled in a toxic relationship with her boyfriend, played by Charlie Carrick.
During her podcast appearance, Kendrick revealed that she had kept the film’s subject matter to herself, explaining, “I didn’t tell anybody about making a movie about emotional abuse at the time because it was so soon after my relationship ended.” The film’s themes resonated deeply with her, as she had just exited a relationship that mirrored the narrative of the movie.
Reflecting on her journey, Kendrick emphasized the importance of understanding emotional abuse, which often goes unrecognized. “It’s hard to pinpoint, and you think, ‘Am I being dramatic?'” she said, highlighting the internal conflict many face in similar situations.
