Anna Kendrick talks about playing Cinderella, dumping Prince Charming

NEW YORK, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Anna Kendrick says she was pleased to hear her Into the Woods director Rob Marshall say he wanted to infuse the movie musical's fairytale characters with a modern sensibility.

Kendrick plays Cinderella to Chris Pine's Prince Charming in the film, which is set to open nationwide Dec. 25. Unlike the traditional telling of the tale, this Cinderella leaves her husband after she realizes she wants more out of life -- and because he was spotted kissing the baker's wife in the forest.

"A lot of people have been like: 'This isn't your everyday Cinderella; she kicks him to the curb.' And while that's sort of true, the fact is that it is done with so much civility and compassion," Kendrick said at a Nov. 23 press conference in New York.

"My parents set an amazing example for me because they divorced when I was 15 and we're having Thanksgiving dinner together in a couple of days and I know that's not always the case, but I think that theme meant so much to me because I feel love from people that I have loved and I think that is so beautiful and I think that is such an important lesson for children -- that people can have disagreements, but it doesn't mean one is bad and one is good," the 29-year-old actress explained. "And I feel so grateful to my family for setting this amazing example with their separation and I hope that that scene [in which Cinderella leaves the prince] is a reflection of that."

Based on Stephen Sondheim's stage musical, the big-screen version of Into the Woods co-stars Meryl Streep, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp, Christine Baranski and Tracey Ullman.