HOME. HERE'S ABC'S MONA KOSAR ABDI. >> Reporter: ACTRESS ANNA KENDRICK KNOWN FOR UPBEAT PERFORMANCES ON THE SILVER SCREEN. >> I KNOW THAT I'M KNOWN FOR KIND OF MUSICALS AND A CERTAIN KIND OF CHARACTER. THAT'S USUALLY WHAT I GET HIRED TO DO. AND I FELT LIKE IT WAS KIND OF AN EXERCISE IN REBUILDING MY SELF-TRUST. >> Reporter: NOW TAKING ON A DECIDEDLY MORE NUANCED ROLE. >> I'M SO SORRY I'M LATE. >> I'M GOING TO DO A DIFFERENT THING THAT I'M NOT USUALLY HIRED TO DO AND TRUST THAT THAT WILL WORK, AND ALSO EVEN IF IT DOESN'T, I'LL BE OKAY. >> JUST CAME IN. JUST CAME IN. >> Reporter: IN HER LATEST MOVIE "ALICE, DARLING," KENDRICK EMBODIES A YOUNG WOMAN SEARCHING FOR ESCAPE FROM HER BOYFRIEND'S EMOTIONAL ABUSE. >> WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITHOUT YOU? >> HE ISOLATES HER, AND HE CONVINCES HER THAT HER FRIENDS ARE BAD FOR HER. WHAT BOUNDARIES DID YOU HAVE TO CREATE WITH YOURSELF TO CREATE SAFETY PLAYING A CHARACTER THAT HERSELF DOESN'T FEEL SAFE? >> I FELT REALLY FORTUNATE TO BE SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO CAME TO THIS FILM BECAUSE THEY RELATED VERY DEEPLY TO THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN AND AROUND PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE. AND I FELT VERY SAFE AND VERY HELD BY THEM. >> I LIED TO HIM, HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO BE ANGRY. >> WHY? ABOUT WHAT? >> ABOUT BEING HERE. >> THERE'S MY GIRL. >> THE MOVIE IS A DEPARTURE FROM THE ROLES THAT MADE HER FAMOUS LIKE HER FIRST BREAK AS JESSICA, BELLA'S FRIEND IN "TWILIGHT." >> WHO'S HE? >> THAT'S EDWARD. >> HE'S TOTALLY GORGEOUS, OBVIOUSLY. BUT APPARENTLY NOBODY HERE'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM. >> HELLO. >> AND HER RISE TO INTERNATIONAL FAME AS ACAPELLA STAR BECCA IN "PITCH PERFECT." ♪ I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE ♪ >> YOU PLAY MORE LIGHTHEARTED ROLES, I WOULD SAY. >> YEAH. >> WHY WAS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO PLAY ALICE AT THIS TIME IN YOUR CAREER? >> I'D BEEN KIND OF LOOKING FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE RESTRAINED AND SMALL. I DID WANT TO CHALLENGE MYSELF. AND EVEN THOUGH I TRIED TO WORK HARD TO BE A CERTAIN KIND OF ACTOR, AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THE FILMS THAT I'VE MADE, I WANTED TO KIND OF SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I PUT ALL THAT DOWN AND PUT DOWN ALL THE ARMOR. IT WAS, YEAH, PERSONALLY, VERY REWARDING TO DO THAT. >> I NOTICE THERE'S ACTUALLY LIMITED DIALOGUE IN THIS MOVIE, PARTICULARLY BETWEEN ALICE AND SIMON. >> YEAH. >> WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO SHOW THAT VULNERABILITY, TO PAY ATTENTION TO HER BODY LANGUAGE? >> IT STAYS WITH ALICE'S EXPERIENCE. I THINK THAT SOMETIMES IF WE'RE IN A SITUATION LIKE, THAT WE TEND TO GET LOST IN CATALOGING. WELL, THEY SAID THIS, THEY DID THIS, WAS THAT WRONG, WASN'T THAT WRONG? AND THE THING THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT IS, WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME? HOW DO I FEEL? LISTENING TO THAT CAN BE SO HARD. BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, CULTURALLY WE'RE CONDITIONED TO NOT LISTEN TO OURSELVES. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND BRAVE CHOICE TO JUST STAY WITH THIS WOMAN AND WATCH HER. IT'S ALMOST DARING THE AUDIENCE TO SAY, LIKE, TELL ME SHE'S NOT BEING ABUSED. >> I'M TRYING TO WORK OUT WHY YOU WOULD CHOOSE TO HURT ME SO DELIBERATELY. >> I -- NO, I -- I MEAN, I JUST WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH MY FRIENDS. >> RIGHT. YOU WANT TO BE HERE WITH THEM AT MY EXPENSE. >> Reporter: ALICE'S STORY IS DEEPLY PERSONAL FOR KENDRICK. YOU YOURSELF ADMITTED THAT YOU ARE A SURVIVOR OF ABUSE. WHAT WAS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO PORTRAY THROUGH ALICE? >> THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF PUSH-PULL, HOW MUCH DO WE SHOW OF THE PARTNER, AND WHAT'S THE BEHAVIOR? AND I THINK THERE IS A TEMPTATION TO HAVE A SCENE WHERE HE JUST SHOVES HER INTO A WALL, JUST ONCE, SO THAT THE AUDIENCE IS CLEAR, OKAY, THIS IS A BAD GUY. THIS IS AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP. AND I THINK SOMETIMES WE DON'T HAVE THOSE BLACK-AND-WHITE ANSWERS. AND THAT UNCERTAINTY IS SO HARD TO DEAL WITH AND LIVE WITH. AND I THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME TO HAVE THE MOVIE LIVE IN THAT UNCERTAIN SPACE. BECAUSE THAT'S THE EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH IT. >> I CAN'T DO ANOTHER THING WRONG. >> ALICE -- >> I CAN'T DO ANOTHER THING WRONG. >> ALICE, WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? >> I LIED TO HIM, HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW I'M HERE. >> WHY DID YOU LIE TO HIM? >> BECAUSE I'M BAD. >> WHAT? WHY DO YOU THINK SURVIVORS TEND TO QUESTION THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE? >> I MEAN, I CAN'T SPEAK TO ANYBODY'S EXPERIENCE BUT MY OWN, BUT I THINK THAT I WOULD GET TRAPPED IN A LOOP OF THIS VERY FALSE SENSE THAT IF I JUST WENT OVER EVERYTHING ONE MORE TIME, I COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE EVERYTHING OKAY AND HOW TO GET SAFE. >> THAT JUSTIFICATION IS ALSO WHY SURVIVORS OF ABUSE OF LIKELY TO GO BACK TO THEIR SITUATIONS, TO GO BACK TO THEIR ABUSERS. SIMON SAYS "I GIVE IT A WEEK." WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS GET OUT OF THIS MOVIE? >> THE MOST I CAN HOPE FOR IS THAT IT'S A DROP IN THE BUCKET OF QUESTIONING AND BEGINNING TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING TO THEM OR A FRIEND. >> Reporter: THE PARALLELS BETWEEN "ALICE, DARLING" AND HER OWN EXPERIENCE BRINGING A DEEPER SENSE OF PURPOSE TO HER PERFORMANCE. >> THE FACT THAT THE SUBJECT MATTER WAS SO CLOSE TO HOME WAS SOMETHING EVEN MORE POTENTIALLY REWARDING, BUT ALSO SCARY. BUT SOMETIMES SCARY THINGS ARE VERY REWARDING. >> OUR THANKS TO MONA.