Pitch Perfect was one of the surprise hits of late 2012, with its combination of catchy songs, clever mash-ups and sharp comedy. It made $113million on a budget of just $17million, and gained even more fans on DVD and Blu-ray. But the film's star, Anna Kendrick, had a few worries about signing up for the inevitable sequel.

Anna Kendrick at the Geffen Playhouse annual fundraiserAnna Kendrick reprises her role as Beca in Pitch Perfect 2

She told The New York Times that she started thinking about critical washouts like Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, and "getting understandably nervous because comedy sequels are really hard to pull off."

Pitch Perfect 2 (released May 15) takes the Barden Bellas singing troupe to the world championships after a humiliating routine sees them barred from performing in the US. Speaking about the much-anticipated sequel, Anna said, "The machinery was so much more present on the second one. There's worrying over product placement and how many deluxe-edition albums are we going to be able to pull out of this one, and heightened choreography."

More: Anna Kendrick takes on John Krasinski in a lip-sync battle

The actress revealed how she had relied on the director of the first movie, Jason Moore, and the screenwriter of both films, Kay Cannon, to remain grounded. "I would email Jason and Kay before certain scenes and just get words of wisdom or a little mantra from Kay. Sometimes it was just great to be reminded by Kay that the Bellas are supposed to be people trying to find their place."

More: Anna Kendrick to write a collection of autobiographical essays

But despite her fame, Anna is still very down to earth about her life and career. She said, "I never let myself forget that I can't just put this down and expect it to be waiting for me when I feel like coming back to it. The memory that at one point I couldn't book a guest spot on 'Gilmore Girls' is always on my mind. There is someone else out there who can do my job."

Watch the international trailer for Pitch Perfect 2 below.