Brittany Snow’s 3rd Time Being Pitch Perfect Exclusive Interview

By: Lynn Barker

In Pitch Perfect 3, Brittany Snow’s character Chloe is hoping to enter vet school but she can’t let go of her college acapella group the Bellas. It’s family to her. Will meeting a fella who could be her forever love be life-changing? Will a huge USO tour be the Bellas’ swan song?

You have probably seen Brittany in the other Pitch Perfect films and she was a great snooty Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray (check it out on video or on demand) as well as starring in a lot of TV shows. In a recent interview, she admits that she and the other Pitch Perfect actresses have become really close. Is number three the last of the Bellas? How aca-awful! Check out what Brittany has to say about her character’s influence on fans, the current trend for female Hollywood to speak up about harassment and more!

Kidzworld: Wasn’t the first movie in 2012? How has this Pitch Perfect journey been and how do you feel right now?

• Brittany: It’s very surreal that it’s been five years. We’re incredibly lucky that we’ve been doing something continuously for five years but it’s great. We love hanging out together so it’s kind of a joke that we get to get paid to do these movies over and over again. It’s like you hang out with your best friends and get paid for it. We are really good friends.

Kidzworld: The first ones were so successful so when the idea for the third one came up, did you have any idea what would happen with the Bellas at this point?

• Brittany: Definitely not. Going into the first one, we didn’t know this would be a franchise so when we were doing the second one, we weren’t even thinking about a third one. It’s kind of like we haven’t thought too far ahead. We’ve let other people do that for us. But I think it’s always interesting what they cook up for these movies because they get very creative about where we can go.

Kidzworld: Your character Chloe is on her journey. She wants to become a vet but she’s called back in to do this one big USO tour. Talk about what’s up with Chloe at this point.

• Brittany: Chloe’s story arc is that she is trying to get into vet school but Chloe, I think out of anybody, has a hard time really diving into anything because she likes to stay in the past and hold onto her family. I always thought that Chloe’s backstory was that she didn’t have a very good family life so she’s extremely needy and passionate and she loves these girls and doesn’t want to move on very quickly. This journey for her is really understanding that she can let go of the idea that they have to be a group, that the family will always be there anyway. But she is passionate about everything so she’s passionate about animals too.

Kidzworld: Speaking of passion, there is a love interest this time around with Chicago (Matt Lanter). I just loved the whole Chloe flirtation with him. Tweens and teens can identify with it.

• Brittany: Yeah, they let us do so much improv with that. Pretty much everything I say to him is just Chloe being awkward which I really like in general for young girls to see that. You might not be able to say the right thing to guys and you might not have the best game but Chloe is unapologetic about it and owns it and isn’t scared of the fact that she’s not the coolest and she still gets the guy. You can be who you are and be unapologetic about the fact that you are weird.

Kidzworld: There is this whole Chloe/Becca shipping thing going on. Some fans want to see them together. Chloe may end up with Chicago though. I don’t know.

• Brittany: Yeah, that aspect of these movies I’d never come in contact with before; the fan fiction of it all and these relationships. When I was a kid there wasn’t shipping yet or it wasn’t so able to be connected through social media and sharing your pictures and stories. It’s a huge honor to see how much time and effort goes into imagining these relationships.

Kidzworld: Have fans come up to you about it?

• Brittany: Yeah, recently, a girl I’ve seen over the years told me that because of Chloe, she was able to relate that she was gay and she had the bravery to come out to her parents because she realized that she was feeling something for these two characters that she hadn’t felt before. That was the coolest feeling because you do these movies and you have connections with people that you work with but you don’t think that the films were going to help somebody in that way. It’s very cool that a little move could do that.

Kidzworld: Cool! With the USO element in this, did you actually perform in front of real troops or were they extras?

• Brittany: They were actual troops and it was really great to meet a lot of them and thank them but it was also really surprising and cool that they knew the movie and that it was something that they liked. I felt like this movie is so uplifting and lighthearted in times that are happening right now. It’s very nice to have been a part of something (like that).

Kidzworld: That’s great. What was the biggest challenge in coming back for this third one in terms of preparing and getting into vocal and physical shape.

• Brittany: Well, luckily I don’t have to do any physical action stunts. Rebel does most of that. There wasn’t much preparation involved because we always know that we have a month of rehearsal where we learn all the dances and get back as a group in feeling connected again which is the biggest part of these movies. This isn’t an individual thing. We have to all dance and sing together. We all have to use each other’s comedy and know where each other shines in a way. Really, I feel like that month of rehearsal and prep is for us to fall back in love with each other again and know how to give and take because, without that, I don’t think our chemistry would work.

Kidzworld: The huge riff-off in the hangar looked like it might have been the most complicated thing to put together. Was it?

• Brittany: I always find it really cool that the director can figure out how to shoot every single person and have all of their coverage make sense in riff-offs that we do because there are so many people singing to a certain person and the group in general. I’m glad that I didn’t have to shot list that or worry about that at all.

Kidzworld: Why are the riff-off scenes so hard for the actor/singers?

• Brittany: That only thing that is hard with riff-offs is that the part you sing is very specific and there are so many different people singing and so many different songs and they come in at different times, you really have to know what your part is and when you sing it because, if not, you’re just standing there and it doesn’t make any sense. So, it just takes a lot of listening to the song and practicing and rehearsing and knowing what the other girls are doing as well and listening to each other.

Kidzworld: The song “Freedom” at the end is so emotional. Was that actually shot last as well? It was a great finale song.

• Brittany: It was shot actually at the very end. We didn’t shoot the entire movie in sequence but we did shoot the finale number at the end which was really special because I think those tears that we had were real for many different reasons. There were lots of various things each of us was going through but also, as a unit, we were realizing that this could be the end (of this film series) and this was a huge chapter of our lives. I guess it was like a final performance that we were having as actors and people and I think that translated when we did the scene as well.

Kidzworld: How emotional is it for you to come to the end like this?

• Brittany: I think we’re all in denial that this is the end because we think that if this makes a lot of money we’ll do more but we also have to come to terms with the fact that it could be and yeah, it is emotional. When I was on a TV show, I went through this as well and many of my friends who are on a TV show, when it ends you go through this. You create a family and it is also such a defining chapter of your life then you have to move on to the next stage. So although it’s emotional, it’s necessary and I think that’s we are all coming to terms with that. We know that our careers aren’t meant to be staying in Pitch Perfect movies forever. So it’s been really cool to get to see the girls again and have it be so uplifting and supportive ending.

Kidzworld: Looking back over the three films, is there a favorite moment or scene, whether you are in it or not, that you can’t get enough of?

• Brittany: It’s the first time we sang together Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are”. I didn’t really know what it was going to look like but I knew when we were filming it that it felt really special. It was also one of the first times that (Anna) Kendrick and I had a moment where we knew that we were on the same page about many things personally and seeing the scene, it was kind of amazing that it all sounded like that and I felt that not only in the storyline, it connected our voices but when we all watch that we were like “Oh, this movie might be something special”.

Kidzworld: Music has been a big part of your life for a while now. Would you like to write or record? What are your musical aspirations?

• Brittany: I am not a singer and I don’t want to be a singer. It’s funny because when I got Hairspray or these movies, everyone keeps putting me in musical movies which I love because I love to sing but I have an insane fear of singing on a big stage. I’m never gonna be a popstar. I’m never gonna sing on Broadway. I’d love to do Broadway and act but I could never do a musical. So, my musical aspirations are probably going to be limited to my shower and my dog hearing me. I do love recording music with my friend Kelley (Jakle) who is also in the movie. We just do little things like that. More musical movies would be great.

Kidzworld: Your charity Love is Louder is about anti-bullying and, this year, a lot of women have been coming out about bullies. So you are kind of way ahead of the game. How do you feel about women stepping up and speaking out?

• Brittany: I think it’s a great thing. I think what’s really great is, not only women, but everyone having a conversation and being honest. When I started Love is Louder or even before when I was honest about personal things, there was still a stigma surrounding why you were doing it. It was either seen as using it for attention or vanity in some way.
• Now I think more and more people are realizing that you can come out with your truth and your story and you are not being manipulative, you are just being honest with yourself and with others because it’s the right thing to do. People can read these stories and think “Oh, I’m going through the same thing. I’m not alone in this” and that’s the connection that they need to get through.

Kidzworld: So you’ve done some producing. You did a web series show. Are you planning on doing more of that or directing?

• Brittany: I’m directing a short film in January or February that a lot of the girls in Pitch Perfect are doing cameos in for favors. I wrote it and I’m going to direct it and produce it just to try to see if I can do all of that which I’m really excited about. I have a movie called “Stripped” that I’m doing but probably not until March.

See Pitch Perfect 3 in theaters Friday!

 

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Have you ever sung acapella?  Have you seen the first 2 Pitch Perfect movies?  Comment below!