Yahoo Movies Anna Kendrick "shocked" herself fighting for Woman of the Hour's bold opening
Anna Kendrick made her directorial debut with new Netflix movie Woman of the Hour, and she definitely took a 'go bold or go home' approach.
The excellent thriller is based on the stranger-than-fiction story of aspiring actor Cheryl Bradshaw who, in 1978, ended up matching with serial killer Rodney Alcala when she appeared on The Dating Game.
Woman of the Hour is mostly a fictionalised account of the surreal events that happened on the show. However, it also takes care to highlight the women that Alcala killed and the brutality of his crimes, without sensationalising them.
As such, the movie opens with the hard-to-watch murder of one of Alcala's victims. It's a bold opening that Kendrick had to fight to keep in the movie.
Related: First trailer for Woman of the Hour
"I was frankly shocked with myself for being so firm. I think I said something along the lines of, 'If it's really important to you guys that the movie open in a nightclub and have a certain feeling, that's fine, but I don't know how to make that movie'," she told Digital Spy.
"I was like, 'I can't believe I'm saying this. This is like my first directing opportunity and I'm being kind of ballsy.' So there was a part of me that was like, 'Who do I think I am saying this?' But yeah, I love that opening scene.
"I also feel like I have to say that, of course, when you really, really fight for something, then at least you feel very, very happy with the result. You remember that really well and sort of mythologise it.
"The times that I fought for something and I was wrong, those memories are more vague, I couldn't even really tell you if that even happened."
Related: Anna Kendrick's new movie finally confirms UK release
It appears to be a move that paid off for Kendrick as Woman of the Hour – which she also executive produced and starred in – debuted with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes following its world premiere last year.
Ahead of its Netflix release this week, the thriller still holds a 91% rating which marks the second-highest of Kendrick's career to date.
Woman of the Hour is released on Netflix on October 18.
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