We had the pleasure of speaking with Anna Kendrick from Up in the Air about how she got her start, where she got inspiration for her character, and what it was like to work with George Clooney.

Are you pleased with the film?

Anna Kendrick: Oh yes, I'm so proud of it. I think I would say it's by far my favourite film experience that I've had. It was the most fun and the most rewarding. The combination of this beautiful script and this beautiful character, with George Clooney and Jason Reitman on set, all day, everyday, was really fun. You couldn't ask for anything more.

Is it fair to assume that the character you play is a long way from your own personality?

Anna Kendrick: Oh yes! But that was the fun part about it. Natalie does so many things that I would like to do and she is unapologetically who she is in a way that I wish I was. Sometimes there are things that you wish you would say or do and you think about it. And it was easy to transfer that into someone else. Personally, I generally avoid confrontation so it was a release to play Natalie because she's not going to back away. And like I said, getting to yell at George Clooney was pretty cathartic.

Yeah, I'll bet. That must have been a great day on set...

Anna Kendrick: Yeah, I mean, a tricky day, but it was a lot more fun than some of the smaller scenes. Getting to just kind of give it to George both barrels.

Have you met people like Natalie?

Anna Kendrick: I think we all have. She's a little rigid and a little annoying and she has a strength that she's not afraid of. But there's also a weakness there - and actually you probably see her at her weakest in this film, it's probably the most vulnerable time of her life. I imagined that she was the sort of person who prides herself on the idea that she's overcome a lot of challenges in her life and I think that in reality this is the first time she's ever been challenged.