Anna Kendrick felt ‘gross' getting paid for ripped-from-the-headlines 'Woman of the Hour': 'I'm not making money off of the movie'

Anna Kendrick gave her Woman of the Hour paycheck to charity because she felt “gross” profiting off a project based on real-life crimes.

Kendrick directs and stars in the film about an aspiring actress who crosses paths with a serial killer while appearing on The Dating Game in the 1970s. She plays Sheryl, an aspiring actress, who is wooed by three bachelors, one of whom is the killer who “wins” the date. The film, written by Ian McDonald, is based on the true story of the American serial killer Rodney Alcala, who was dubbed the “Dating Game Killer.”

While appearing on Sirius XM’s Crime Junkie podcast on Oct. 25, the Pitch Perfect star talked about having “some valid ethical questions around true crime,” so she donated her salary for the ripped-from-the-headlines project to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) and the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC).

Kendrick said the film “was never a money-making venture” for her. “All the resources went to actually just making the movie.” So when it ended up selling at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival to Netflix for a reported $11 million, she said, she had a moment where she realized, “‘Oh, the movie’s going to make money.”

“Then it was like, ‘Oh, there’s like money going to be exchanging hands,’” she said. “I sort of asked myself the question: ‘Do you feel gross about this?’ and I did. So, yeah, I’m not making money off of the movie." The money has already been donated to the two charities, she added.

She added, “It's still a complicated area, but that felt like the least that I should do.”

A spokesperson for NCVC told Yahoo Entertainment in a statement that their team "was excited to learn about Anna’s gift, both to our organization and our friends at RAINN, and humbled by her support."

"In a world where the true crime genre often sensationalizes tragedy, Anna’s work in Woman of the Hour stands out as a beacon of compassion and leadership," the statement continued. "By advocating for a victim-centered approach, she is helping to reshape narratives that prioritize the dignity of those affected by crime. Her commitment to uplifting survivor stories reminds us that behind every statistic, and true crime ‘story’ is a human being with a powerful story to tell."

In a statement to Yahoo Entertainment, RAINN confirmed Kendrick's donation.

"We’re so grateful to Anna Kendrick for her support of RAINN and all survivors, and for being a compassionate storyteller when it comes to raising awareness of sexual violence," the statement said.

Representatives for Kendrick and Netflix have not yet responded to requests for comment.

Woman of the Hour’s real-life origins

Alcala, who is played by Daniel Zovatto in the film, was sentenced to death in California for five murders that were committed between 1977 and 1979. He also pleaded guilty to two more murders in New York. The victims in those cases were all women and young girls.

At the end of the Woman of the Hour, a note adds that “some authorities estimate the true number of victims to be as high as 130.”

Alcala, who died in prison in 2021, went on The Dating Game in 1978 during the period of the California murders. But he had killed his first victim almost a decade before and wasn’t arrested until a year after he was on the show.

Kendrick told Netflix’s Tudum, “I’m not really interested in the real Rodney.” Instead, she said, her focus was on Alcala’s victims and on telling their stories. The film also looks at the botched handling of the case, which allowed Alcala to evade justice for so long.

Woman of the Hour is Netflix’s No. 2 film globally for the week of Oct. 21-27, with 13.2 million views.

Kendrick, on press tour, talks about emotionally abusive relationship

While promoting this film, Kendrick appeared on Call Her Daddy and revealed that she had been in a abusive relationship that lasted for seven years.

She said that because of the theme of Woman of the Hour, and her 2022 film Alice, Darling, which was about a woman in a psychologically abusive relationship, she realized she had to speak out about the abuse she had personally endured.

“For a second, I did think that interviews for this film would just involve me being asked about every member of the cast and the crew, and I’d just gush about them,” Kendrick told the U.K.’s Independent. “But so far, no one’s asked me about the sound team.”

She added that it was time for the Band-Aid to be “ripped off” anyway.

"I think I’d hit a point of critical mass,” she told the outlet. “I think what was happening at that time was I was being forced into a place of performance and dishonesty in my private life. I just couldn’t spend another second breathing dishonest air.”

Updated, Oct. 30, 2024: This story has been updated to include a comment from RAINN.