Anna Kendrick recently opened up on Call Her Daddy about her experience in an abusive relationship, offering a more personal look at the struggle she’s described before. The 39-year-old actress and director first revealed this experience in 2022 while promoting Alice, Darling, a film about a woman in an emotionally abusive relationship that had striking similarities to Kendrick’s own experience.
In her interview, Kendrick explained that the abuse didn’t follow what she considered a “traditional” pattern, making it hard to identify and even harder to accept. “It didn’t follow the traditional pattern,” she said. “I was finding it really difficult to identify it and name it as abusive.” This deviation from the typical narrative added confusion and a sense of self-doubt to an already painful situation, causing her to question if she was somehow responsible.
Kendrick noticed a sudden change in her partner’s behavior, almost like an “overnight switch.” Initially, she blamed herself, constantly questioning what she might have done to trigger the sudden shift. As she sought to repair the relationship, the actress shared that she and her partner even went to couples therapy. However, even their therapist initially misinterpreted the dynamic and sided with her partner. “It was very, very difficult to actually go, ‘No, this, I think this is, I think this is him. I think, I think this is his stuff,’” she shared. Ultimately, the therapist later acknowledged their mistake and apologized for not seeing the situation clearly from the beginning.
But Kendrick had already spent years battling self-blame. She explained that her life was turned “completely upside down” as she tried to “fix whatever was wrong” with herself to make the relationship work. The process became all-consuming as she focused on what she thought she was doing wrong rather than recognizing the reality of the toxic relationship she was in.
“I think he genuinely believed that I was, like, torturing him,” Kendrick explained, adding that her partner was “convinced” he was the victim. His perception intensified Kendrick’s guilt, as he truly seemed to believe that any issues in their relationship were due to her actions. This twisted dynamic created a cycle of self-blame and emotional exhaustion for Kendrick, making it nearly impossible for her to see the relationship for what it truly was.
Reflecting on the relationship now, Kendrick acknowledges how difficult it was to confront what she was going through, and she admits she still struggles with feelings of responsibility for the emotional turmoil she endured. The relationship lasted seven years, a period that Kendrick describes as deeply challenging. The time she spent in this unhealthy dynamic made her second-guess herself and her ability to trust her own perspective, especially as she tried to make sense of what was happening around her.
Kendrick’s openness about her journey offers a rare, honest look at the complexities of emotional abuse and the challenges that come with recognizing it. Through her candid sharing, Kendrick sheds light on how abuse can appear in unexpected forms, especially when there isn’t any physical violence. By speaking out, she’s helping others understand that abuse doesn’t have to look a certain way to be valid and harmful.
