George Clooney tried to get his co-star Anna Kendrick thrown off the set of their film because he didn’t know who she was. The actor had never heard of the 24-year-old actress until she signed on to star opposite him in Up in the Air. When he arrived at the first cast read-through, he saw Anna paging through the script and, mistaking her for a spy trying to steal the film, asked director/writer Jason Reitman to have her removed. “You know, I didn’t know who Anna was until the table reading,” George said. “And then I tried to get Jason to fire her because I thought she was trying to steal the movie.” George has joked his opinions of Anna didn’t improve once he got to know her. He became convinced she was going to overshadow him in the film, and claims he was stunned by the flawless performance she gave. “I don’t like Anna Kendrick,” he joked to Empire magazine. “I don’t like that girl. Anna is going to be sort of defined by this and it was a perfect part for her. She really does it all and she’s really exciting.” George Clooney is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Up in the Air, while Anna and their other co-star Vera Farmiga will compete for Best Supporting Actress.