Anna Kendrick , star of the Pitch Perfect and Trolls franchises, tackles victim-blaming head-on in her surprising newest film – and directorial debut – Netflix ’s latest hit movie, Woman of the Hour. The Hollywood star has long been an accomplished performer, nabbing an Oscar nomination at 24 for Up in the Air and a Tony nod at just 12 for her role in the Broadway musical High Society. But audiences have got used to associating her with a certain type of upbeat, peppy role and enjoyed her witty persona online and in interviews.
So Woman of the Hour is a pretty major departure for the 39-year-old, who was a standout supporting player in the Twilight saga , dealing as it does with the surreal, stranger-than-fiction appearance that serial killer Rodney Alcala made on US TV show The Dating Game in 1978. He was in the middle of his spree of horrific crimes and was later convicted of seven murders – although the real number of his victims could be as high as 130. Kendrick is talking to me virtually from her kitchen on the eve of Woman of the Hour’s release, which will go on to claim the top spot in the Netflix US film charts , as well as number two globally on the platform with nearly 10 million views after just three days.
It’s an impressive feat, but the star is very aware that this tense, real-life drama is not what people were expecting of her – and knew that it could be a huge career risk. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a w.