Anna Kendrick donates entire 'Woman of the Hour' fee to Victims' charities over ethical concerns

Anna Kendrick, star and director of Netflix’s true crime film Woman of the Hour, has chosen to donate her earnings from the movie to two victims' charities. The decision stems from ethical concerns about profiting from the story of Rodney Alcala, a 1970s serial killer who appeared on a TV dating show while in the midst of his crimes. Kendrick, who also plays Alcala’s co-contestant Cheryl Bradshaw in the film, stated, “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.”

Kendrick’s fee from the film, which Netflix reportedly bought for $11 million at the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF), went to Rainn (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and the National Center for Victims of Crime. Kendrick emphasized that her focus was always on highlighting the impact Alcala had on the lives of his victims, saying, “The aim was always really to center the women’s stories.”

The film, watched over 23 million times on Netflix in its first two weeks, reflects Kendrick’s commitment to ethical storytelling in the true crime genre, as she described in an interview with Ashley Flowers from the Crime Junkie podcast. Kendrick’s decision underscores a complex dialogue around profiting from true crime, making Woman of the Hour both impactful and controversial.