Anna Kendrick shuts down Blake Lively question that shouldn’t have been asked on the ‘Another Simple Favor’ SXSW carpet
Another Simple Favor appeared at SXSW at the start of the festival and was a hit. But that didn’t stop reporters from asking questions of the cast they should not. Primarily Anna Kendrick.
Paul Feig, Lively, and Kendrick were all in attendance and, due to the situation going on with Lively’s legal battle, the vibe was simple: Keep it focused on the film when asking questions. As someone who interviews celebrities and does red carpets for a living, I know what is and is not appropriate to ask on a carpet. In this case, it is even more important to NOT ask questions that have nothing to do with the film.
It seemed as if the carpet was limited to bigger outlets and trade publication to specifically avoid this kind of thing on it, which makes sense given the situation. Lively is currently in the middle of a legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star and collaborator, Justin Baldoni. The back and forth has been tireless and Baldoni is continually posting “proof,” putting it back in the forefront of the news cycle.
In such cases like this, as press, our options can be limited with talent (rightfully so) and if we do get approved, they can note that no questions are to be asked about such matters. Some people follow that rule (me) and others find ways around it. That is what happened on the carpet of Another Simple Favor.
Variety had a chance to talk with Kendrick who is an Oscar-nominated actress, directed a feature film last year, and has been working in this industry for quite some time and their question centered on whether or not the movie would be impacted by “everything going on in the world.”
Kendrick was quick to shut it down, saying “”Why, what happened? I did ayahuasca and the last year of my life is just gone.”
This kind of questioning has to end
I understand the concepts of trending news, what will go viral, and being the first on something. I really do, it is part of my job. But the reality is that there are a lot of things happening right now that even if Lively or her co-stars wanted to talk about it, they cannot. It is a legal battle.
So what happened with this and questioning Kendrick about it just wasted her time and probably cut an interview short. When bigger outlets or trade publications ask these questions, it ultimately doesn’t hurt them but it could hurt other journalists or the industry at large because talent won’t give their time to press and they won’t do interviews if they think this is what is going to happen.
Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before someone ignored the obvious plea to not ask about the lawsuit while promotion for another movie is happening but it is upsetting that that is the reality of these situations now. Kendrick did a brilliant job avoiding it but let’s…..not keep doing this. I want off this ferris wheel.
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