How George Clooney Calmed Anna Kendrick’s Nerves on ‘Up in the Air’ Set

Anna Kendrick took a trip down memory lane this week, singing the praises of her 2009 Up in the Air co-star, George Clooney.

“He is kind of capital G, George, and he works really hard to make you forget that and feel comfortable,” the Pitch Perfect star said of her experience acting alongside Clooney. Kendrick made the comments to CNN’s Chris Wallace, recalling her memories from shooting Up in the Air scenes with Clooney over a decade ago.

“The very, very first shot that he and I did together was my first shot in the movie,” Kendrick said. “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, ‘Yeah, I worry, like, did they even hire the right guy?’”

Kendrick’s anecdote continued, “It wasn’t for years that suddenly that memory popped into my brain, and I thought, ‘No, he does not. No, he does not get nervous and he does not get insecure or worry that they’ve hired the wrong guy.’ 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, OK, I can bring my anxiety into the moment and someone is going to hold space for that and be cool with that.’ And it really, really set me at ease. And was a complete fiction.”

Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman, also starred Vera Farmiga and Jason Bateman. Kendrick and Clooney received Oscar nominations for their roles, with nods as well for best adapted screenplay, best director and best picture.