Anna Kendrick Donates Earnings from True Crime Film to Victims’ Charities

Anna Kendrick has stated she donated her compensation from the successful Netflix true crime film Woman of the Hour to two victims’ charities, explaining that she would have felt “gross” profiting from it. Kendrick both directed and stars in the movie, which focuses on a serial killer who appeared on a 1970s TV dating show while actively committing his crimes. The star mentioned she did not expect the film to generate any money and did not consider this possibility until its premiere. “I was just making the movie… and then it was like, oh, there’s money going to be exchanging hands. And I asked myself the question of, do you feel gross about this? And I did. And so, yeah, I’m not making money off of the movie.” In addition to directing Woman of the Hour, Kendrick portrays Cheryl Bradshaw, who participated in The Dating Game with Rodney Alcala in 1978. Alcala was later found guilty of eight murders between 1971 and 1979, but is suspected of killing more than 100 women and girls. Speaking with Ashley Flowers, host of SiriusXM’s Crime Junkie AF podcast, Kendrick noted that “we’re both steeped in some really valid ethical questions around true crime”. The Pitch Perfect and Trolls star continued: “Believe me, this was never a money-making venture for me, because all the resources went to actually just making the movie.” She further explained that it was not until the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF), where the movie premiered and which is a major film festival for movie acquisitions, that the prospect of profit emerged. Netflix eventually purchased the movie. “But it wasn’t until the week before TIFF that I thought, oh, the movie’s going to make money.” At the time, Netflix was reported to have paid $11m (£8.5m) for the rights. Kendrick did not disclose her fee, which she confirmed she donated to the charities Rainn (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and the National Centre for Victims of Crime. “It’s still a complicated area, but that felt like certainly the least that I should do,” she added. Woman of the Hour was viewed the equivalent of 23 million times in the two weeks following its release earlier this month, according to Netflix. Kendrick clarified: “It is really meant to be the story of the impact that he [Alcala] had on the people that were unfortunate enough to come across him, so the aim was always really to centre the women’s stories.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.