Anna Kendrick said one of her proudest moments ever was making then-President Barack Obama double over in laughter. Now, the actress has revealed exactly what she said to crack him up so much.
Kendrick spoke about her interaction with Obama this week, telling Stephen Colbert about a 2012 campaign event when she got a chance to meet him. As People magazine noted, the conversation could have gone in a very different direction, with Kendrick accidentally calling the president an “a**hole” to his face.
The 33-year-old actress recounted that during the campaign event in Los Angeles, Obama referenced her while talking about the economy and recession, saying her 2009 movie, Up in the Air, did a good job portraying both. Later, in private, Obama asked if he embarrassed her by putting her on the spot about it.
“Yeah, you’re such an a**hole,” she joked in response.
But that wasn’t the only bit of wit she displayed. Kendrick said that when she was the first to arrive for the event, Obama asked her, “Are people from Maine really punctual?”
“And I was like, ‘You didn’t know that? You’re the president!’” Kendrick recalled.
The response had Obama doubled over in laughter, and Kendrick posted a picture of the exchange on her Instagram page, calling it the “coolest three seconds of my life.”
Anna Kendrick has been open about her political leanings, especially her support for gay marriage. Kendrick has become something of an icon in the LGBTQ world, even though she told The Advocate that she doesn’t see herself fitting into any of the letters of that acronym.
“I’m such a straight, cis, Boringface McGee over here, so I love that that could be even a little true,” she said. “The idea that I’m resonating with other people who have ever felt like outsiders is the coolest.”
Kendrick said that her 10 closest friends, both men and women, are all gay.
She has been even more open when it comes to her political preferences. Kendrick not only campaigned to help re-elect Barack Obama but also bemoaned the surprise election of his successor, Donald Trump.
“Woke up feeling like I’d had a nightmare. Then started crying again. Mantra: I am not alone, we are not alone,” she tweeted the morning after Trump was elected president.
So while her sense of humor may work well for Barack Obama, it’s not likely that Anna Kendrick will be yukking it up with Donald Trump anytime soon.
