Scrappy Little Nobody
Anna Kendrick
Touchstone
Review: Chantel Erfort
I love Anna Kendrick. I can’t explain it, but I do. And when her character, Bella, performed Cups (When I’m Gone) as an audition piece in Pitch Perfect, I loved her even more.
Kendrick, who is best known for her roles in Twilight, Pitch Perfect and Up in the Air, which earned her an Oscar nomination – and a chance to work with George Clooney – launched her acting career as a child stage and musical star, with the first few chapters of the book detailing how she often travelled for hours to get to audition venues and once even moved to another city with her dad for the duration of the run of High Society, in which she made her stage debute.
Kendrick is also an accomplished singer and Scrappy Little Nobody proves she’s not bad at writing either.
It’s easy to take Kendrick at face value, because she plays pretty much the same cutesie, out-of-place character in most of the movies she stars in, but Scrappy Little Nobody, a collection of autobiographical essays, paints the picture of a multi-talented, determined young woman who started pursuing her goal of being an actor long before audiences got to know the dark brooding Bella.
As a collection, Scrappy Little Nobody gives the reader insight into her early life, her razor-sharp wit – and her (many) insecurities.
While sometimes I even felt she overdid it with the self-deprecating humour, it’s nice to know that not even Hollywood celebs live perfect lives.
In many of the pieces, she addresses the reader directly, saying things like, “now that we’re getting to know each other” or “not that we’re friends”. And I’ll be honest – as I got stuck into this book during my summer holiday, I really felt like I was being let into her life.
Her writing offers a true and authentic look into the life of a young girl who moved to a new city on her own in her late teens, determined to make it in Hollywood – without a back-up plan.
Kendrick writes with a refreshing honesty and a good dollop of humour all the way through, sharing her insights on living in LA without friends – or a car – her take on boys and relationships, being sewn into a sexy evening gown and remaining a “scrappy little nobody” even when she became Hollywood’s darling.
If you enjoyed Rob Lowe’s Love Life or Nick Offerman’s Paddle Your Own Canoe, you’ll enjoy this offering.
