Anna Kendrick has revealed she based her new film role on Countdown star Rachel Riley.

The Pitch Perfect star plays a numbers muncher in The Accountant, which also stars Ben Affleck and JK Simmons.

“I’m mostly trying to make maths look sexy, which is hilarious because maths is not my strong suit,” the actress said.

Rachel Riley (Ian West/PA)
Rachel Riley (Ian West/PA)

“Ben is running around, being very action-heavy with guns and more exciting bits than I am, while I’m trying to make maths seem exciting. Whatever Rachel Riley can do, I can do too.”

Anna has been taking tips from Rachel on 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, which is hosted by Jimmy Carr and sees Sean Lock and Jon Richardson as the team captains in the words and numbers game.

“I watch 8 Out Of 10 Does Countdown. Countdown to me is pretty boring,” she added.

The 29-year-old actress has also been taking tips from her mother.

“My mother is an accountant so she was helping me prepare for the role,” she continued. “I was texting and emailing her, and she was giving me her take on what she would do. I was like, ‘Settle down, Mum!’.”

Jean Smart, Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick (Ryan Miller/Invision/AP)
Jean Smart, Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick (Ryan Miller/Invision)

Anna admitted her petiteness caused an issue with her co-star Ben, who reportedly stands between 6’2 and 6’4.

“He’s so tall. There was a scene where I elected to wear Converse because I had to do a bit of running in a sequence later on in the same outfit, and I stood next to the man and I thought, ‘Oh no! This looks like I have a medical problem, I look so short’,” she said.

“He is taller than I expected him to be. Some people are tall, but 5’10 is no big deal. But I look pretty silly standing next to Ben Affleck.”

The Accountant, directed by Gavin O’Connor, is scheduled to be released in 2016.