Anna Kendrick credits Russell Crowe for helping her secure Station Eleven actor Daniel Zovatto for her feature directorial debut, Woman of the Hour. The thriller premiered October 18 on Netflix, starring Zavatto as real-life convicted murderer and sex offender Rodney Alcala who appeared as "Bachelor #3" in a 1978 episode of The Dating Game. The story explores how he was able to collect victims while evading capture during his grisly cross-country killing spree.
Kendrick revealed in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly that Zavatto was her top choice for the role, but she needed to convince him to accept the offer. Luckily, when he mentioned the project to Russell Crowe, the Gladiator star put in a good word for the actress, as Kendrick explained:
"He was away filming, and it took us forever to finally connect. I think he was filming with Russell Crowe at the time and told Russell Crowe about the offer, and apparently Russell Crowe was like, 'Oh, I think I like her. I think you should do it.' So I owe Russell Crowe the biggest fruit basket of all time."
According to Zovatto, he and Crowe were filming Pope's Exorcist in Ireland when the latter encouraged him to audition for Kendrick's movie. "He's like, 'You're going to do it, Danny.' I was like, 'All right, dude, I'll do it,'" the It Follows star told EW. After later meeting with the Emmy-nominated actress, Zovatto was so impressed by her enthusiasm and knowledge of the story, that he was executed to join the project. "I saw her passion in the way that she conveyed herself in the meeting, and I was like, man, I really want this part," he said of Kendrick.
Woman of the Hour Is Based On a True Story
In Woman of the Hour, Kendrick plays Cheryl Bradshaw, who appeared on The Dating Game in 1978 and unknowingly chose serial killer Rodney Alcala as her date. Fortunately, she surveyed her encounter with him, and he would later be convicted of murdering six women and a minor female in the 1970s, though police believe he killed over 100 people. The film explores Alcala's crimes while focusing on several of his victims. Kendrick explained to EW that she was certain Zovatto could masterfully pull off this performance after watching him as the Prophet on HBO's Station Eleven, saying:
"I felt like, if Danny's not available, I don't think I have a movie. Even though in many ways he's not the center of the film, the performance has to be beyond perfect. One misstep and the whole thing is blown."
Woman of the Hour jumps around in time to depict several murder cases linked to Alcala, beginning with the 1977 killing of a pregnant woman in Wyoming. Bradshaw's Hollywood life as an aspiring actress, and her appearance in The Dating Game, are the center of the narrative and a sequence revisited throughout the film. The story also follows Alcala after the show, when he encounters teenage runaway Amy in San Gabriel, California. This case is another recurring subplot in the film's storyline, per Netflix's Tudum.
Alcala was on death row when he died in 2021 at 77 of natural causes. Investigators suspected him of murders in California, Washington, New York, New Hampshire, and Arizona, according to the CDCR. In an interview with TODAY.com, Kendrick expressed hope that her film conveys the anger she felt after discovering how often he was able to evade the system. "It makes me enraged sometimes ... I hoped to capture that feeling of, 'I can't believe he keeps getting away with this. I can't believe no one's even looking for him,'" she said.
5:09 Related Anna Kendrick Talks Facing Her Fears (And a Serial Killer) with Woman of the Hour
Anna Kendrick spoke to us about her new thriller coming to Netflix, Woman of the Hour, and how she stepped up to direct it when it was falling apart.
In addition to Kendrick and Zovatto, the Woman of the Hour cast includes Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development), Nicolette Robinson (The Affair), Autumn Best (4400), Kathryn Gallagher (HBO Max's Gossip Girl), Kelley Jakle (Pitch Perfect), Pete Holmes (Crashing). The movie is now streaming on Netflix.
4/5 Woman of the Hour Not Yet RatedCrimeDramaMysteryThriller
Anna Kendrick stars in her directorial debut, Woman of the Hour - the stranger-than-fiction story of an aspiring actress in 1970s Los Angeles and a serial killer in the midst of a yearslong murder spree, whose lives intersect when they're cast on an episode of The Dating Game.
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*Availability in US Release Date September 26, 2023 Director Anna Kendrick Cast Anna Kendrick , Daniel Zovatto , Autumn Best , Andy Thompson , David Beairsto , Tighe Gill , Bonnie Hay , Thomas Strumpski , Nicolette Robinson , Kathryn Gallagher , Kelley Jakle , Tony Hale Runtime 94 Minutes Main Genre Crime Writers Ian MacAllister McDonald Studio(s) AGC Studios , Vertigo Entertainment , BoulderLight Pictures Distributor(s) Netflix Character(s) Cheryl Bradshaw , Rodney Alcala , Amy , Bob , Rodney's Boss , Bachelor , Bartender , Laundromat Owner Expand