CULTURE

Anna Kendrick Once Called the President an “A–hole” to His Face

No, it wasn’t Trump.

by Elizabeth Logan

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images

Short people get away with everything because no one is scared of them. Case in point? Anna Kendrick, star of the upcoming comedy-thriller A Simple Favor, directed by Paul Feig and costarring Henry Golding and Blake Lively, once called the leader of the free world an a–hole to his face and got away with it. No, not that a–hole president. The president with a sense of humor. Obama. Obviously.

Last night on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Kendrick revealed that in 2012, she and President Obama were both at a campaign rally in Los Angeles. During his speech, the president praised Kendrick’s Oscar-nominated performance in the breakout dramedy of the year, Up in the Air (in case you forgot about that movie, it’s about George Clooney flying around and learning that people are supposed to have feelings, and Kendrick is very good in it). Afterward, the actress got to meet the commander in chief briefly, and he apparently said to her, “I hope I didn’t embarrass you earlier.” According to Kendrick, she replied, perhaps out of nervousness, “Yeah, you’re such an a–hole.”

“Oh, me and Barack!” said Kendrick when Colbert showed her the Instagram triptych commemorating the time she made Obama literally double over with laughter.

Pitch perfect. She also told him that people from Maine are often punctual, then scolded him for not knowing enough about his country. And Obama didn’t even tweet about it. Remember when we had a president who didn’t tweet about every little thing? That was nice.

Kendrick is nothing if not a good sport, always willing to laugh at herself. She later tweeted, “I’m on @colbertlateshow tonight! I tell the story of the time I accidentally insulted a …….*very* famous person. To their face. Because I’m the worst and I shouldn’t be allowed to interact with people. Fun!!”

Check out the full clip for their discussion of Obama, hair, Grizzly Adams, and what song a person simply has to sing for the president:

Related: Blake Lively Wore a Fantastic Pantsuit to Meet Up With Anna Kendrick In N.Y.C.

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