George Clooney Helped Anna Kendrick Calm Down on ‘Up in the Air’ Set

Anna Kendrick was the latest guest on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” as her press tour for Netflix’s “Woman of the Hour” continued, and she told a heartfelt story about what it was like working with a Hollywood A-lister like George Clooney so early in her career. The two actors starred together in Jason Reitman’s acclaimed 2009 drama “Up in the Air” and both earned Oscar nominations for their performances. Kendrick said it was “completely terrifying” to film her first scene with Clooney.

“To other people he is kind of capital G, George, and he works really hard to make you forget that and feel comfortable,” Kendrick said. “The very first shot that he and I did together was my first shot in the movie. We were standing on this people mover, and we’re kind of waiting and the camera is pretty far away and he said, ‘God, do you get nervous? On the first day, I get so nervous. Do you get insecure? I get really insecure.’ And I was like, ‘Yes, I do, George, I do. I totally get nervous. I totally get insecure.’ And he was doing this whole thing about, like, ‘I worry. Like, did they even hire the right guy?’”

“It wasn’t for years that suddenly that memory popped into my brain, and I thought, ‘No, no he does not get nervous. He does not get insecure or worry that they’ve hired the wrong guy,’” she continued. “Maybe that’s something he dealt with earlier in his career, but it was such a gift for him to say that because it felt like, ‘Oh, okay, I can bring my anxiety into the moment and someone is going to hold space for that and be cool with that.’ It really, really set me at ease. And was a complete fiction.”

“Up in the Air” stars Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a human resource consultant who travels around the country laying off employees. Kendrick plays Natalie, a bright-eyed optimist instructed with teaching Ryan a new virtual system that that will get his job done faster. The two form a bond as the emotional toll of their job forces them to reconsider their personal lives. The supporting cast features Vera Farmiga, Melanie Lynskey and Danny McBride. Farmiga and Kendrick were both nominated at the Oscars for best supporting actress.

In addition to six Oscar nominations, including best picture, “Up in the Air” was also a box office hit with $166 million worldwide. The film was a breakthrough moment for Kendrick, who was also appearing in the “Twilight” movies at the time. Her star power chops would be flexed a few years later with the release of 2012’s “Pitch Perfect.”