Anna Kendrick Isn’t Making Fun Of Mom Vloggers In ‘A Simple Favor’

Anna Kendrick’s character in the upcoming thriller “A Simple Favor” is a mom vlogger, but the actress tells International Business Times she isn’t poking fun at the internet stars her character’s job is inspired by.

“I watched some YouTube mom vlogs basically to look like a professional for the first time that I met [director] Paul Feig,” Anna told IBT and other members of the press ahead of CinemaCon’s Big Screen Achievement Awards in Las Vegas last month. “I said I should probably have some stuff to say like ‘Well, there’s this kind of style, which is really interesting’ and then ‘I don’t know if Stephanie’s more this kind of style.’”

While her character Stephanie is a family vlogger, Kendrick, 32, said she didn’t look to emulate any web star in particular.

“I don’t think there’s any mommy vlogger who is really trying to keep up the facade of perfection as hard as Stephanie is and I’m definitely not making fun of mommy vloggers,” Kendrick said.

She continued, “It’s definitely like Stephanie’s got issues and she’s got some secrets and she’s really trying to keep that smile going. It’s definitely about that as opposed to like I’m not aping at any particular mommy vlogger, but I did enough research to get through our first meeting.”

“Hers is particularly a low rent vlog,” Feig added. “But that’s what we like.”

“A Simple Favor” stars Kendrick opposite Blake Lively, who plays Emily. After fellow mom Emily mysteriously disappears from their small town, Stephanie works to find out what happened to her best friend.

The film, marketed as a thriller by Lionsgate, is a different change of pace for the “Pitch Perfect” franchise star and “Bridesmaids” director, which both filmmakers acknowledged.

“I asked him every damn day I like what is this movie?” Anna quipped.

“It’s a thriller first and foremost but it’s a fun thriller,” Paul explained. “We treat it very real but the characters are, I don’t want to say extreme, but they’re fun quirky characters... You’ll laugh but you’ll also be horrified.”