With Emmy, Tony, SAG and Academy Award nominations already under her belt, life has been a nonstop whirlwind for Anna Kendrick. Yet the perennially busy actress (“Pitch Perfect,” “Twilight,” “Up in the Air,” “Into the Woods”), 36, has somehow found enough career downtime to focus on real estate, splashing out nearly $7 million for a lavish home near the pinnacle of the hills that soar high above Los Angeles.
Nestled near the end of a secluded cul-de-sac that’s actually an offshoot of another secluded cul-de-sac, the new Kendrick estate is remarkably private. Yet it still boasts thrilling, unobstructed views of city lights that dot the San Fernando Valley. And the property also sports an impressive celebrity pedigree — way back in 2008, it was acquired by fellow actress Mila Kunis. Six years later, just prior to her marriage to Ashton Kutcher, Kunis sold the Hollywood Hills bachelorette pad to a non-famous man who flipped it just three months later to Dominic Howard, the longtime drummer of acclaimed English rock band Muse.
During Howard’s seven years of ownership, he renovated and expanded the house, enlisting New York and L.A.-based architectural design firm Studio Tim Campbell to assist with the project, before putting the place up for grabs with an $7.7 million list price. Several months and no takers later, the ask was slashed to $7 million; soon thereafter, Kendrick stepped up to the home plate and all was well.
Because this is the Hollywood Hills, Kendrick has lots of industry-famous new neighbors. Some of the folks within sugar-borrowing distance include the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante, who owns two spicy side-by-side homes, and Swedish pop star Tove Lo, whose own residential Shangri-La was once owned by Danny McBride.
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Image Credit: Zillow Though it sits rather hard up on the road — like many homes in the tightly-packed Hollywood Hills — nearly all of the roughly 4,900-square-foot residence is invisible from the street, thanks to tall walls and thick hedges. Naturally, the place comes equipped with a high-tech security surveillance system.
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Image Credit: Zillow Inside, imported French oak flooring covers the vast great room, which offers dedicated areas for relaxing, dining and cooking. A fireplace warms one end of the room, while steel-trimmed glass doors and windows drink in the panoramic views and spill out to the backyard.
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Image Credit: Zillow Just beyond the great room lies the “resort-like yard,” per the listing, which is equipped with the expected pool/spa combo, plus grassy patches of lawn, a fire pit and a flagstone patio that connects to a raised wooden deck with outdoor kitchen and al fresco dining options. Lush landscaping shields the third-of-an-acre property from nosy neighbors.
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Image Credit: Zillow Back inside, a powder room flaunts a whimsical wallpaper print.
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Image Credit: Zillow There’s also a library/study with a bar and corner fireplace.
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Image Credit: Zillow Set into a private wing of its own, the principal bedroom features walls of glass that open directly to the backyard.
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Image Credit: Zillow The primary bathroom offers dual sinks decked out in an elegant gray marble.
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Image Credit: Zillow Though most of the house is single-story, the red-tile-roofed structure also offers a two-story west wing that includes an attached two-car garage, an attached guesthouse with a full bedroom suite, and a recording studio.
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Image Credit: Zillow Also in the west wing is a soundproof movie theater with its own fiberoptic ceiling to simulate a starry sky.
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Image Credit: Zillow For now, Kendrick still owns her Los Angeles “starter” home — a far more modest place in the eastern Hollywood Hills, directly above Beachwood Canyon. The Portland, Maine native bought that house almost exactly a decade ago, way back in early 2012, paying $1 million.