Anna Kendrick Says A Simple Favor Director Paul Feig Made Sequel “Even Crazier”

To put it simply, Paul Feig did us all a favor.

With Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively and Henry Golding returning to reprise their roles in the anticipated A Simple Favor sequel, it’s only natural to have doubts that it will compare to the original. Even the Pitch Perfect star was skeptical at first.

“When the idea of doing a second one was even pitched, it was sort of like, ‘How could we top the first movie,’” she told E! News in an exclusive interview. “And Paul has really done an incredible job of making this movie even crazier.”

And while Paul—who also directed Bridesmaids and Freaks and Geeks—was busy doing the impossible, Anna was relieved that she was surrounded by familiar faces.

“I was actually really happy that it was a lot of the same filmmaking team,” she admitted, “because it was the first movie that I was acting in after directing for the first time.”

“I was very worried about getting on a set and having people feel like, ‘Oh, wow. You direct one movie and you think you know everything,’” she continued. “And Paul and John, they were like, ‘Oh, she's always been like this. She's always been opinionated and nosy.’  So at least they knew that's just my personality.”

So it felt pretty natural for the 39-year-old to make her directorial debut with her Netflix film, Woman of the Hour—based on the true story of a serial killer’s appearance on The Dating Game. And yet the Twilight actress admitted to coming face-to-face with a little imposter syndrome along the way.

“I kept expecting somebody to turn to me and go, ‘Oh, you don't actually know what you're doing, and we found you out,’” she shared. “And instead I just got to have the most amazing experiences collaborating with really talented people.”

But nonetheless, she persisted with the help of a little caffeine and a great mentor. In fact, Anna is partnering with Keurig and their new innovation, the K-Brew+Chill brewer, to encourage everyone to fuel their wildest dreams with flavors like McCafé Iced Mocha Frappe—which is her personal favorite. Because even she will admit she requires a pick-me-up, “I am nothing if not a total homebody, like, lazy bones.”

And with her iced coffee in hand, the first person she called for advice when taking a seat in the director’s chair was none other than Paul himself.

“It was so funny because Paul is universally known as, like, the nicest man in Hollywood. He's just always got a smile on his face, and he's just so positive,” she explained. “The second he heard I was going to direct, it was like he shifted into this other gear and really gave me this tough love pep talk. He went into coach mode, and he was like ‘Guess what? The buck stops with you. No excuses. You have to make sure your vision doesn't get compromised.’”

It was so intense,” she continued. “I think my eyes were bugging out on the other side of the phone. It was awesome. “