Anna Kendrick recently opened up about her new dating rule following a painful, emotionally abusive seven-year relationship. In an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Kendrick discussed how her experience influenced her views on relationships and therapy. Reflecting on the past, she shared, “I won’t even consider getting involved with a man unless you are in or have been in therapy,” emphasizing the importance of emotional awareness and self-improvement.
The actor’s challenging journey mirrored her role in Alice, Darling, where she played a woman struggling with an emotionally abusive partner. Kendrick revealed that working on the film was deeply personal, as she had just come out of a similar relationship. She admitted not telling her friends or even her therapist about the film’s theme at the time, fearing they might advise her against taking on the project.
Kendrick described how the emotional abuse in her relationship wasn’t easy to identify because it didn’t follow a traditional pattern. It was a sudden shift, which she likened to “a frog in boiling water.” The confusion led her to initially blame herself, thinking she must be “the crazy one.” Even with a couple’s therapist involved, she noted how her ex managed to remain calm during sessions, which made her feel even more unstable.
Now, Kendrick wants to raise awareness about emotional abuse without being “victim-blamey” in conversations about red flags. She highlighted that it’s nearly impossible to know what’s happening inside the mind of someone working to destabilize their partner emotionally. Her story is a powerful reminder of the complexities of emotional abuse and the importance of therapy and self-reflection in healing.
