Anna Kendrick has said her past experience in an abusive relationship informed her performance in new movie Alice, Darling.
The upcoming film sees Kendrick’s character, Alice, attempt to escape from an unhealthy relationship with Simon (Charlie Carrick), with the actress revealing her personal life affected her preparation for the role.
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"I really related to Alice's obsessive mind," she told The LA Times. "It’s this totally irrational hope that if I'm just a little bit better, I'll be safe. It's like having a pair of pliers on your heart."
Kendrick, who has also starred in the Pitch Perfect trilogy, elaborated further by explaining that the film’s depiction of mental abuse, as opposed to physical, mirrored aspects of her own life.
"That was a big part of my problem. 'Well he never hit me and I'm not really afraid that he's going to hit me. How do I discern between normal conflict and abuse?'" she said. "I love that it really relied on Alice's experience rather than cataloguing evidence of the behaviour from Simon.
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"It was really, really important that the movie relied so heavily on just staying with Alice," she continued. "You don’t have to believe that it might get physical for you to feel like you’re allowed to leave, that you deserve to be treated better, deserve to feel safe."
Director Mary Nighy echoed the thoughts of the lead star, revealing that a scene which showed Alice’s bruises was cut from the film in order to emphasise the main thesis, saying: "In society, physical abuse is very clearly defined as an evil, and I think psychological and emotional abuse, even for those who have suffered it, can sometimes question whether it’s a real thing."
Alice, Darling is scheduled to be released in the US and UK on January 20, 2023.
If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, organisations including Refuge (www.refuge.org.uk) and Women's Aid (www.womensaid.org.uk) can provide further support and information. The 24-hour, freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247. The US National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text LOVEIS to 22522.
