Anna Kendrick Says ‘Pitch Perfect’ Gave Her the Most Rewarding Friendships of Her Life

When Anna Kendrick first stepped onto the set of Pitch Perfect in 2012, she was just hoping to make a good movie. What she didn’t expect was that the experience would also dismantle her guarded exterior and leave her with what she now calls “the most rewarding relationships” of her life.

The Pitch Perfect trilogy—released between 2012 and 2017—followed the fictional Barden Bellas a cappella group from underdogs to champions, charming audiences worldwide and grossing more than $565 million. Kendrick’s character, Beca Mitchell, was a reluctant freshman whose mash-up prowess helped transform the Bellas into a winning team. But while the franchise’s on-screen success was undeniable, the bonds forged behind the scenes became just as significant.

“It’s really rare that you make true friends doing a movie,” Kendrick told PEOPLE in 2022, marking the film’s 10th anniversary. “I feel like I made lifelong friends… they wore down my hard shell.”

That “hard shell,” Kendrick admits, was a product of years in the entertainment industry. Born in 1985 in Portland, Maine, she was a Tony-nominated Broadway actress by age 12 and an Oscar nominee by 24 for her role in Up in the Air. Yet her ascent came with a certain self-protectiveness—and a healthy dose of self-doubt.

On the Pitch Perfect set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, long days of choreography, harmonies, and “a cappella boot camp” made it nearly impossible not to get close. Brittany Snow, who played Chloe, once described those early months as an intense bonding experience: “We became a family because we had no one else.”

For Kendrick, that closeness proved transformative. The acceptance she felt from co-stars like Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, and Ester Dean mirrored her character’s journey—an outsider finding her place. Off-screen, those relationships provided a steadying presence through personal challenges, including what Kendrick has described as an emotionally abusive relationship she left around 2013.

Snow in particular became a confidante. “Anna and I talk all the time. We’re always checking in,” she told Us Weekly. Kendrick says that kind of loyalty—like the one she feels from her family back in Maine—helped her stay grounded amid Hollywood’s pressures.

The Bellas’ friendship didn’t fade when the cameras stopped rolling. From charity performances to casual reunions, the group has continued to support each other. In 2016, several members even performed an a cappella rendition of “Love on Top” for a telethon, their harmonies as seamless as ever.

For Kendrick, the decade-long journey with the Bellas was more than just a professional chapter—it was a personal milestone. “They became family in the truest sense,” she reflected.

And if the enduring warmth between the Bellas is any indication, the Pitch Perfect legacy isn’t just about catchy mash-ups and competition wins. It’s about the rare kind of connection that survives the final curtain call.