Every few years comes a film that reunites graduates for the ultimate farewell or that one successful franchise you can’t get enough of. Pitch Perfect 2 is that one summer film destined to gather classmates, colleagues and families, as it calls out for everyone in search of an unforgettable event. Entertainment Affair was at the press conference where the stars and filmmakers revealed some insights and experiences on what is already predicted to be a box office hit.

“The cool thing about this movie is that it’s fun, no matter whether you’re a girl or a guy. Guys like it and girls like it. It’s not specific to a gender. I think that’s why it’s empowering for women. There’s no separation,” said Brittany Snow, who reunites with the Bellas as Chloe. Targeting a female audience may seem like the obvious, including the “female empowerment” message, but most of the actors signed up for a fun film that unexpectedly became a voice for diversity.

Rebel Wilson, who’s gained quite the following portraying her character Fat Amy, proves to be a role model and pointed out that intelligence and self-confidence are essential. “Pitch Perfect has such a great girl power message. We’re ten girls in a group that are all different sizes, nationalities and backgrounds, and yet we come together to create something really great. I have noticed that I have a lot of young female fans, and I think what they’re tapping into is that Fat Amy and obviously myself are very confident in our own skin. That inspires them. Also, on a personal level, I’m all about what’s up here [in the brain] and not necessarily what’s on the outside. I think that is a really good message, especially for young girls to hear. The fact that someone like me, from the western suburbs of Sydney, could become an actress in movies and not look like regular actresses gives a lot of hope to other girls who are really creative and not necessarily the standard of what some people consider beauty to be.”

Written by Kay Cannon, Pitch Perfect 2 highlights friendship and togetherness and an experienced group of Barden Bellas and The Treblemakers. Ben Platt told us about his character and his new discoveries. “Benji is such a character in the first film. He’s just this heightened guy, he’s got this magic thing and Star Wars thing that it was just sort of discovering what he’s like as a real fleshed out person. Of course he’s still got his quirks, but that’s not the entirety of his character. He’s a guy who loves a girl and wants to impress her. It was just discovering that Kay gave us such a beautiful platform to create whole people, not just these really funny characters.” On playing the supportive boyfriend, Skylar Astin (Jesse) commented, “We’re setting the bar way too high for all men. There’s no love triangle that was removed. But there was definitely a little bit of conflict between Jesse and Beca, a little bit of a life decision that was in their way.”

Producing partners Elizabeth Banks and husband Max Handelman were joined with Paul Brooks to create Pitch Perfect, but when Brooks was not able to direct the second time around, Elizabeth stepped in and took on the role of director, producer and of course, her beloved character Gail. “She truthfully did what I thought she would do, which was make a great film,” expressed Brooks. Banks was on board to bring back that underdog story and she did successfully. “One of the main things Elizabeth has as a director is she’s a phenomenal natural leader, and that’s one of the main things you want in a director, a singular vision. She was walking our crew through each scene, and explaining to them ‘what’s happening here,’ and I just remember vividly this image of this small blonde-haired young woman leading a crew of 98 percent men, many of whom have grizzled beards who were rapt with attention listening to every word she said. There was no question of anything. She was the boss,” said Handelman.

The rivalry in the film continues, but this time with opposing team Das Sound Machine, a unique and intimidating a cappella group consisting of powerful performances and vocals by Birgitte Hjort Sørensen and Flula Borg. Birgitte’s character, Kommissar who has a few unforgettable confrontations with Beca (Anna Kendrick) talked about working with director Elizabeth Banks and said she “allowed a lot of freedom and as an actor, it’s always wonderful when you can actually be part of the creative process and not just fulfill somebody else’s vision.” Borg, who plays Pieter Krämer added, “I think it helps that she comes from acting as well so kind of knows how to communicate to us very clearly, you know do this, try this, boom… stop sucking!” Also joining with his comedic timing is Keegan-Michael Key, as Beca’s boss. Keegan’s character does not come without inspiration, as he is the boss of a music record label, modeled after Pitch Perfect’s very own music producer, Harvey Mason Jr.

While there are many new roles in the film, one that occurred quite organically is the new Bella. As Banks described, Steinfeld’s experience as an actress was very similar to her experience joining the cast. Hailee Steinfeld, who surprised many with her beautiful voice, told us about her experience as the new girl, both as an actress and as Emily. “I do think there may be some similarities between me and my character, in terms of being the deer in headlights, completely new, very eager and fans of everyone. Walking into a world that was already established was equally as intimidating, as it was exciting and thrilling. But I had a very warm welcome and all of the girls were very helpful in getting me caught up.”

The cast is vast and so is the music. The musical selection, soundtrack available now, is different and includes original and classic songs. Elizabeth Banks talked about the choices and the legacy of the Bellas. “Music I think is sort of a universal language and not everyone knows Miley Cyrus, so we really wanted to feature as many genres and just fun songs, classics, sing-a-long type songs that we can have in the movie. I think frankly, one of the themes of the film is legacy; the girls are joining a long legacy of singing. So thematically, it makes sense to put in the classics.”

Pitch Perfect 2 is in theatres everywhere this Friday, May 15^th.