Photo by Paras Griffin
Members of the cast of the new film, PITCH PERFECT 2, introduced the movie for the first time in Atlanta to a packed house at a advance screening hosted by Bravo’s Real Housewives of Atlanta TV personality, Kandi Burruss. Cast members in attendance included Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, and Flula Borg who were excited about visiting Atlanta on the first leg of their press tour for the highly anticipated new sequel. Dean, Borg, and Lee also hosted a press conference for the film at the legendary Patchwerk Studios.
The Barden Bellas are back in “Pitch Perfect 2,” the follow-up to summer 2012’s smash hit. The comedy will be helmed by Elizabeth Banks, co-star and producer of “Pitch Perfect,” and produced by Paul Brooks, Max Handelman and Banks. Writer Kay Cannon returns to the team to pen the next chapter.
At the press conference Dean, Lee, and Borg shared their experience filming the sequel to the popular film, and they chronicled their transition from the first film to the sequel.
Ester Dean stated:
“We were babies the first time, but this time they took more risks. We are the avengers of acapella. We have a sequel because fans wanted a sequel. It resonates so well because it represents the true make up of society and everyone can connect to music.”
The transition from songwriter to actress was hard the first time for Dean because she said she doubted herself, thinking she was only supposed to be songwriting. The second time around she was like “I’m an actress now.” She also stated that she always wanted to do voice overs. The cast actually didn’t get to pick the ’90s scenes but they were like “hell yeah” and nostalgic. Hana Mae Lee stated that producer Elizabeth Banks is super good with improv, and she let them do their own thing.
“Comedy is important to trust the actors, be organic, and break away from the script,” said Lee.
The cast also shared that they prepared for the dances for 3 weeks. They admitted it was pretty hard dancing with Usher’s choreographer. Flula Borg shared that he always planned to transition from YouTube and use it to lead him to other opportunities in the entertainment world such as Pitch Perfect. Pitch Perfect 2 will be in theaters Friday May 15th. Check out more photos from both events. Photos by Paras Griffin/ Prince Williams/Wire Image.