Girl Talk with Anna Camp: She Spills All About Pitch Perfect 2 and Dating Skylar Astin
Over the past few years, Anna Camp has conquered Hollywood—appearing in two of the most popular and critically acclaimed movies of recent memory (ahem, that would be Pitch Perfect and The Help) and dropping in on no less than seven Emmy-nominated comedies and dramas. So it should have come as no surprise that as soon as I greeted the effervescent 5’5″ blond at the brand-new (and totally awesome) La Boulange in Los Angeles, she was recognized immediately by a couple of fans congratulating her on those achievements. Over the next two hours, the 31-year-old actress and I gossiped about relationships, chatted about Hollywood’s take on body image, and indulged in waaay too many milk shakes. Read on!
Glamour: You recently said that Pitch Perfect 2 is a different movie. How so?
Anna: It’s a bigger [production], and more songs and amazing things are happening. Elizabeth Banks is so fun to work with and so spontaneous of a director compared to Jason Moore. He’s a very calming force, and Liz gets these girls, gets the college humor, and I think it’s going to take the characters we know and love and put them in a little bit of a more…it’s not a competition, though there is still an element of that, but it’s more than that this time.
Glamour: And Aubrey is in a position of authority this time around, right?
Anna: Yes, she’s still there. She has graduated. We get to see what has happened to her after college and what her chosen career is, which is in a position of authority still. She’s trying to keep her lunch down. [Laughs]
Glamour: Was it like no time had passed from the filming of the first movie?
Anna: Yeah, we all slipped right back into those roles. They asked me if I wanted Aubrey’s scarf, and I said, “Yes! Always the scarf!” That’s who she is. You don’t get that many opportunities to revisit roles that you love, so it was truly a very lucky, fun experience.
Glamour: Is there a chance a third movie could come out of this?
Anna: You never know. I think so. They have Hailee Steinfeld now as the newest Bella, and she’s a freshman. So if they wanted to take it further, they definitely have a very talented woman in place.__
Glamour: You went to University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Anna: I auditioned for Juilliard and didn’t get in, but School of the Arts was amazing. I’m so glad I ended up going there. The first time I did go to New York during high school and got to see Broadway shows, I actually cried when I left. I loved it.
Glamour: After college, you moved to New York, and about five years ago, you came to Los Angeles. What was your first impression?
Anna: I came out to audition for True Blood. That was my first-ever test for any pilot, and it was for Sookie. I was doing a Broadway show when I got the role, and I didn’t think I was going to move out here at all. I thought I was a New York theater girl, but I came out here. The first time I was driving in my rental car, I saw this girl wearing these short shorts with literally her booty hanging out, and I thought, Wow, if that’s how you have to dress here, I’m never gonna make it! It was just a very different vibe, and everybody was much more made up in L.A.. But I kept getting work in L.A., and I decided to make the move. But I never thought I’d live here.
Glamour: If acting didn’t work out, what was your fall-back plan?
Anna: I would try to breed dogs! I’d have a backyard full of dogs and be a breeder or something. I really, really adore them and have trained my dogs to do tricks and everything. I have a puggle—half pug, half beagle. He’s the first dog I’ve ever owned, and I just feel this beautiful connection that’s very rewarding.
Anna ordered the smoked salmon sandwich with cucumber, light creme fraiche, shallots, and capers on toasted peasant bread, along with a quinoa salad. I went for the almond croissant, plus egg-white omelet and fruit. Not to mention all those milk shakes. Delicious!
Glamour: Switching gears to life in Hollywood, you do a lot of red carpets. What’s been your favorite overall look at an event?
Anna: The Pitch Perfect premiere in the pink Marchesa and the old-Hollywood [glamour]. I love pink!
Glamour: The toughest part about the red carpet?
Anna: I’m a very smiley, laugh-y person, so recently at the Young Hollywood Awards, I thought, Maybe it might be nice to take some serious pictures with my mouth closed, but those photographers scream at you to smile! Scream! I’m a people pleaser from South Carolina, so of course I smile because I don’t want them to yell at you. It’s frightening out there sometimes!
Glamour: Image is everything in this town. What’s your view on plastic surgery or fillers?
Anna: If it makes you happy, go for it. I’ve never had any, but I’ll never say never. I definitely know as an actress, I want to be acting forever, and I love to see older actresses with their laugh lines. I want to see their faces move. But who knows?!
Glamour: You do have perfect skin. How do you take care of it?
Anna: Oh, thank you! I used to have cystic acne when I was in New York, and I finally got a prescription and started seeing a facialist named Lisa at Kinara Spa on Robertson Boulevard. She’s amazing. She gets in there, and it can be painful, but it works. Sometimes I go twice a month. I also use Kate Somerville cleanser, which I order from the Home Shopping Network! [Laughs] I also am addicted to this new serum called iS Clinical and it comes in a little blue bottle. I travel with it and put it in my sandwich bag because I don’t want it to get lost. It’s insanely amazing, and you use it every other night. You feel it tingle on your face. I use Philosophy’s daily moisturizer with sunscreen. I also love Benefit boi-ing concealer, which is awesome, and the Tarte chubby sticks. I love all those colors. And some Burt’s Bees chapstick. It’s the best.
Glamour: Staying in shape: What works for you?
Anna: I go to the gym about three times a week and do 40 minutes on the elliptical. Sometimes I’ll do 30, but I push myself to do 40. I pump up my music really loud and then do stretch and use eight pound free weights and do a bunch of squats. Gotta get my booty up! I also walk my dog everywhere.
Glamour: We are often so hard on ourselves when we can’t get to the gym. What do you tell yourself when that happens?
Anna: I’ll tell myself, “Don’t have the cookie if you can’t make it to the gym.” And go for a walk really quickly. Elevate your heart rate some way. I don’t want the gym to feel like if I don’t make it, I’m not a worthy person or I’ve failed. It’s OK. And eat in moderation. I have wine and drink beer, and I think life is way too short to beat yourself up.
Alex the bartender was such a big fan of Anna’s that he made us mini milk shakes with cookie butter infused with strawberry jam! “We’ve had so many milk shakes!” Anna gushed. (But, hey, “in moderation,” right?!)
Glamour: You’re dating your Pitch Perfect costar Skylar Astin. How did that evolve into something more?
Anna: We were friends first and just hit it off. He’s just so great, and he’s a Libra too. We didn’t really have a scene together, but he’s just such a fun guy. He’s great. He was dating somebody, and I had been through [a divorce] and he was like, “Do you want to go on a date?” I remember thinking, Well, he’s younger than me. He’s five years younger. He’s 26, and I’m 31. But I was like, “You know what? OK! Let’s do it, let’s see.” He’s literally my best friend.
Anna left us with this memento on her way out. Thanks, Anna, we loved talking to you too!
__How cute is Anna? Was there anything you were surprised to learn? And tell us who you’d like to see featured in an upcoming “Girl Talk With…”!
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