Anna Kendrick, fresh off the success of her directorial debut Woman of the Hour, acknowledges that her next project has big shoes to fill. The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023 and was later acquired by Netflix, received widespread acclaim for its storytelling and Kendrick’s multi-faceted role as both director and star.
Speaking to Variety at the LACMA Art + Film Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday, Kendrick admitted that finding her next directorial project has been a daunting task. “I haven’t found anything that I’m as passionate about because I think I really hit the jackpot with Woman of the Hour — the script and the actors and everything about it,” she said. “So it’s been very daunting to try to find something that I care that much about.”
Kendrick’s film tells the chilling true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala’s appearance on the 1978 episode of The Dating Game. Kendrick stars as Sheryl Bradshaw, a contestant on the game show, who unknowingly goes on a date with Alcala, who was later convicted of multiple murders. Daniel Zovatto plays the role of Alcala, delivering a chilling performance that complements Kendrick’s grounded portrayal of a woman who unknowingly shares the stage with a murderer.
The film was a major milestone for Kendrick, both as an actress and as a filmmaker. The world premiere of Woman of the Hour at TIFF was a critical success, and its acquisition by Netflix in one of the most high-profile deals of the 2023 festival only amplified the attention surrounding the project. After a year of anticipation, the movie was released on Netflix on Oct. 18, 2024.
Reflecting on the impact of the film, Kendrick said she has been encouraged by the widespread conversations it has sparked. She noted that the film resonated deeply not just with women, but also with men who had not fully considered the dynamics of dating and consent before. “It’s been amazing seeing people talk about it online, and women who are talking about the way that it related to their real lives,” Kendrick said. “I’ve actually seen a bunch of women talking about watching it with their boyfriends or husbands, and the way that they’ve had to kind of explain what’s happening to them.”
Kendrick went on to share an anecdote about her discussions with her male producers during the making of the film. “One of my male producers would say, ‘I don’t know if it’s clear what’s happening in this scene.’ And I was like, ‘Well, it’ll be clear to women, so I’ll take that chance,'” she recalled. “It’s been really fun for me to see women talking about how they had to explain to a partner what was really going on in the scene.”
Her film has also proven to be an educational experience for many, offering a deeper look into the cultural and gender dynamics that women often navigate in their day-to-day lives. Kendrick noted that the film’s premise, while rooted in a terrifying true story, touches on broader themes of power, control, and how women’s experiences are often dismissed or misunderstood by men.
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Since the release of Woman of the Hour, Kendrick’s phone has been buzzing more than ever. “It’s been really cool,” she said, noting that filmmakers who previously passed on casting her years ago have now reached out to work with her. “The coolest thing is some of the filmmakers who’ve reached out to me are people who I auditioned for 15 years ago, and they didn’t cast me. … It feels very full circle.”
