The Twilight Saga saw many actors that would have their big breaks in the subsequent years, most notably Anna Kendrick, who played Jessica Stanley. Though it was a minor role, Kendrick appeared in all Twilight films except The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. In 2005, Stephenie Meyer introduced readers to a world where humans, vampires, and werewolves coexist in Twilight. The core of the story was the romance between mortal Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen, with werewolf Jacob Black in between.
Twilight was followed by three more novels, and they all made the jump to the big screen not longer after. The Twilight Saga was released between 2008 and 2012, with the final book, Breaking Dawn, being split into two films. Aside from the Cullens, the Blacks, and the Swans, many characters from the source material were lucky enough to be included in the films, among those Jessica Stanley, played by Anna Kendrick. Jessica was combined with the character Lauren Mallory, both of which were jealous of the attention Bella received after moving to Forks and her popularity when she began dating Edward Cullen.
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Jessica never really concealed her jealousy towards Bella, and her “friendship” was very questionable, yet she was invited to Bella and Edward’s wedding. Though she was a minor character, Jessica had a bigger presence in Twilight, as she was the one who told Bella about the Cullen family and was one of Bella’s first friends at Forks High School. As Bella’s relationship with Edward evolved, Jessica’s role decreased, but she kept appearing in the subsequent films – except Breaking Dawn 2.
The last time viewers saw Anna Kendrick’s Jessica was in Breaking Dawn – Part 1, where she attended Bella and Edward’s wedding with Mike, Angela, and Eric, and made a very poor taste speech, once more showcasing her jealousy. Kendrick’s absence in Breaking Dawn 2 can be justified by the source material: just like in the films, the last time readers come across with Jessica is at the wedding. In addition to that, Breaking Dawn 2 focused on Bella and Edward’s family and their battle against the Volturi, so Bella’s mortal friends didn’t have a place in the story anymore, not even as background characters.
Not being included in Breaking Dawn 2 didn’t affect Kendrick’s career at all, appearing in The Company You Keep, End of Watch, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Pitch Perfect, and voicing Courtney Babcock in ParaNorman, all in the same year Breaking Dawn 2 was released. Even though Kendrick has expressed how “miserable” she was when shooting Twilight, it can’t be denied that it had a big impact in her career, and it didn’t matter much that her character wasn’t included in the final film.
