Summary
- Most Pitch Perfect cast members sang in the movie, including Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson.
- Cast members like Skylar Astin and Brittany Snow went through intense a capella boot camps before filming.
- Rebel Wilson's impressive singing audition led her to be the first one cast in Pitch Perfect.
The first Pitch Perfect movie which premiered in 2012 was a sleeper hit. The movie follows Barden University's all-girl a cappella group called The Barden Bellas as they compete against another a capella group to win Nationals. The film is loosely based on Mickey Rapkin's non-fiction book, titled Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory. Since its release, Pitch Perfect has gained cult status.
The movie — which stars Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, and Brittany Snow — ended up having two sequels released in 2015 and 2017.
Today, we're taking a closer look at whether the cast members actually sang in the musical which features plenty of a capella singing scenes. Keep on scrolling to find out whether the actors' actual voices can be heard in the movies!
Updated April 2024: While most of the cast of "Pitch Perfect" could carry a tune and sing, they became great friends over the years as well. Because of this, when Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow both decided to try their hands at directing, they consulted with one another about what worked and what did not. The girls even banded together when studio executives wanted to "pass the torch" to Hailee Steinfeld because executives felt that the original cast was "too old." As such, when the second installment became the largest grossing comedy musical of all time, the original cast was not only brought back, but were able to negotiate higher deals for themselves as a result of Rebel Wilson's attorney skills.
Did Anna Kendrick Sing In 'Pitch Perfect'?
Anna Kendrick auditioned for Pitch Perfect with her song "Cups"
In the Pitch Perfect movies, Anna Kendrick portrays Beca Mitchell. Before this character, the actress didn't star in any musical movies. Best known for starring in the Twilight movies, Pitch Perfect was the first movie in which Kendrick played the main character. As fans know, Beca Mitchell loves music, and it turns out that Anna Kendrick does as well.
The actress's musical theater career started when she was 12 years old. In 1998, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical High Society, making Kendrick the third-youngest person to ever be nominated for a Tony in history. Because of this, it certainly isn't surprising that the actress also sang in Pitch Perfect.
"At the time, I hadn't sung in a film," Anna Kendrick revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair. "So I just kind of needed to prove that I could sing."
Kendrick even revealed that she performed the "Cups" song during her audition. "I actually brought in a cup and was like, 'I can do this dumb thing,' [...] so they put that in the movie," the actress said.
However, Kendrick revealed that singing is incredibly difficult. The actress starred in three feature musical movies in a row (Pitch Perfect 2, Into The Woods, and The Last Five Years) which meant she had to take care of her voice for a long time.
"I never want to sing again, honestly. It’s hard as f--k," the actress said according to Bustle. "I was like, I don’t want to have to think about my voice so much. I want to be able to drink beer whenever I want."
The desire to not sing did not last long, as Kendrick was cast in the role of Poppy in the Trolls film franchise. While her face may not be on the big screen, her voice is still doing plenty of work performing popular songs for audiences to enjoy.
Did Rebel Wilson Sing In 'Pitch Perfect'?
Rebel Wilson's singing audition went so well, she was the first one cast in Pitch Perfect
Anne Kendrick's co-star Rebel Wilson portrayed Patricia "Fat Amy" Hobart in the movies. Prior to Pitch Perfect, Rebel Wilson was best known for appearing in comedy movies like Bridesmaids and What to Expect When You're Expecting.
Rebel Wilson revealed that she had to sing during the audition process for Pitch Perfect.
"Because ['Pitch Perfect' is] a singing movie, I had to come in and smash something out with Jason [Moore], and he's the real-deal Broadway director, so I knew I had to impress him," Wilson revealed. "I did my own body percussion as a backing beat, and then after, he said, 'Yeah, you're a really good singer.'"
In 2017, the actress revealed that she sang Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory" during the audition process.
"I was a little nervous, but then I thought: 'Just crush it.'," Wilson revealed.
According to the actress, she was the first one to get cast for the movie.
Most Cast Members Did Sing In 'Pitch Perfect'
Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Ruby Rose, Hailee Steinfeld, and more all sang in the Pitch Perfect films
Considering that Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson sang in Pitch Perfect, it doesn't come as a surprise that the rest of the cast did as well.
Wealthy actor Skylar Astin revealed that he loved working on the set and hearing everyone sing "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson.
"What was cool about filming [the song] was that everybody had their unique style and personality," Astin said.
Brittany Snow revealed that before filming begins, the cast goes through an "intense a capella-style boot camp" in which they practice all the songs and dance routines.
"It’s really fun, we’re in rehearsals all day long learning the choreography... and also learning our parts as it goes along with the dancing, which is actually harder than you’d think because your mouth is doing something completely different than your body," the actress said.
Apart from Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, and Brittany Snow, the rest of the cast members including Anna Camp, Ruby Rose, and Hailee Steinfeld, who fans didn't want, also sang in the franchise.
Source: Bustle
