Pitch Perfect 3 stars faked smiles for 'emotional' final scenes together

Actress Anna Kendrick and her Pitch Perfect 3 co-stars had to fake their smiles for the movie's "emotional" finale, because they were all so sad to wrap the project.

The musical comedy, which chronicles a cappella singing group the Bellas' reunion for one last round of performances, completes the franchise trilogy, and the thought of bidding farewell to each other for good after the closing scenes had the cast members fighting back tears on set.

Anna admits it was "so emotional" for all involved that filmmaker Trish Sie had to encourage the ladies to pretend to be happy for the cameras.

"This was the last day of filming, which never happens - you never film in order like that, so we were just in our feelings," she explained on breakfast show Today. "Our director at one point was like, 'OK, it's great, but you guys do look like you all just found out you have cancer! Now, maybe a little lighter, let's send out the audience on a high, maybe, something like that. A little less emotional!'"

The future of the Pitch Perfect franchise remains unknown, but the Twilight star is hopeful studio executives at Universal Pictures will opt to continue with further sequels.

"If it were up to us, we'd be like, four, five, six, seven (films), but it's probably good that it's not up to us because we don't have ideas!" she quipped. "But we wanted to make it a satisfying ending (for Pitch Perfect 3), if it is the ending, so we're treating it like the ending and hopefully we will get to work together again some day."

At the very least, Anna will have some fond memories of working with co-star Rebel Wilson as they got to shoot a few fun stunts for the latest installment.

"She and I got to do this one stunt where we jump off an exploding boat, as you do in a comedy musical," Anna smiled.

One particularly funny scene didn't make the final cut of the movie, so Kendrick urged filmmakers to include it in the blooper reel at the end of Pitch Perfect 3.

She recalled, "Rebel had to do a scene - on her birthday, no less - where she was attacked by two German Shepherd military dogs, 'cause she's wearing this big suit, and then it didn't even make the movie, and I was like, 'Y'all have to put that in the credits scene, because you made her do that for nothing!'"

Pitch Perfect 3, which also co-stars Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, and Anna Camp, hits theaters later this week (22Dec17).