Anna Kendrick donated salary from ‘Woman of the Hour’ to charity
Following her transition to director with the acclaimed Woman of the Hour, Anna Kendrick has announced that she donated her entire salary from the movie to women’s charities.
Written by Ian McDonald and directed by Kendrick, Woman of the Hour had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023, and was released by Netflix on October 18th, 2024.
It was after the original director Chloe Okuno, dropped out, and the film was sold at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022 that Kendrick stepped up as director and producer, as well as starring as the main character, Sheryl Bradshaw. This emerged after a lengthy delay in production as they searched to secure funding.
Woman of the Hour is based on the true story of the notorious serial killer Rodney Alcala, who became known as ‘The Dating Game Killer’, due to his appearance on the TV show, The Dating Game in 1978 amid his killing spree. Alongside Kendrick, the movie stars Daniel Zovatto as Alcala, as well as Nicolette Robinson and Tony Hale in other roles.
The film has been particularly celebrated because of the way it tells the stories of the victims of Alcala through their perspectives, offering a sobering and chilling take on his evil. While there are eight confirmed victims, some believe that he might have murdered up to 130 people, with his modus operandi likened to that of the infamous Ted Bundy.
In a new interview with SiriusXM, wherein Kendrick discussed working on Woman of the Hour and its thematic significance, she explained that the movie was as much about dealing with her own trauma as it was for creating a means of prompting substantial discussion about the experiences of Alcala’s victims, and humanising them. She’s talked about her experience of being in an emotionally abusive relationship before, which inspired her performance in 2022’s Alice, Darling.
This broader motivation led her to forgo her salary for the film and donate it to women’s charities, such as RAINN. The film’s exploration of systemic misogyny and violence against women is part of a much bigger picture.
“Once I realised, ‘Oh there’s going to be money exchanging hands,’ I asked myself the question, ‘Do you feel gross about this?’” Kendrick told the hosts. “And I did. So I’m not making money off the movie. The money has gone to RAINN and the National Center for Victims of Crime.”
She added: “I think that it’s still a complicated area, but that felt like certainly… the least that I should do.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.