Twilight Actress Hits The Big Time

I found myself feeling bad for the kids who play Bella's friends in Twilight given that they were generally ignored in favor of a smoking hot vampire. But it turns out one of them wasn't just sitting around and waiting for Bella to hang out with her again. Anna Kendrick, who plays Jessica in this weekend's movie, has landed the lead role in Up in the Air, opposite none other than George Clooney.

The Hollywood Reporter says Kendrick beat out big-name actresses like Ellen Page and Emily Blunt for the role, playing a woman who "finds herself pulled into the orbit of a "career transition counselor" (i.e. professional firer) careening through the airless world of business travel." Clooney, I presume, is the professional firer.

Jason Reitman is directing, which makes it even more impressive that Kendrick beat out Page for the part. If she's really good in this, we'll have a great success story on our hands, from bit player to movie star in such a short period of time.