Who Is Rodney Alcala? True Story Behind Anna Kendrick’s Thriller “Woman of the Hour”
- Anna Kendrick debuts as a director with Woman of the Hour, based on a true story.
- The movie revolves around a serial killer called Rodney Alcala who appeared on the reality show The Dating Game.
- He claimed over 130 victims in the 1970s and had quite a reign of terror.
After spending years with a bubbly and chirpy personality on screen, Anna Kendrick is dipping her toes into directorial territory. A Simple Favour actress has directed and starred in a Netflix thriller called Woman of the Hour. Inspired by a true story, the flick takes viewers through a time when a serial killer participated in a dating show.
Nicknamed The Dating Game Killer, Rodney Alcala gained popularity overnight as his crimes came to light via a scandalous affair. Against the backdrop of the late 1970s, when TV and reality shows were slowly becoming mainstream, The Dating Game became popular for its unique concept. However, little did the makers know that a serial killer is going to leverage that platform for his benefit.
Who is Rodney Alcala?
The serial killer Rodney Alcala participated in The Dating Game as a bachelor participant. When Cheryl Bradshaw had to choose between three anonymous guys for a date based on only their verbal answers, she felt attracted to Alcala. Hence began the cat-and-mouse game between the two.
Alcala projected himself as a thrilling photographer on the reality show. Moreover, many people already knew about his crimes since he had already served time for raping and beating an 8-year-old girl. In the movie Woman of the Hour, Alcala is played by actor Daniel Zovatto.
Heinous Crimes Committed by Rodney Alcala
The origins of Alcala’s thirst for violence and killing remain unknown. His first victim was claimed back in 1971 when he s*xually assaulted, bitten, and strangled a flight attendant named Cornelia Crilley, according to Entertainment Weekly. Alcala was in New York at that time, living from one alias to another. He also kept shifting jobs to remain on the run.
The violent killer was added to the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list as well. Despite serving time in prison multiple times for various crimes, Alcala continued his spree of crimes once he was freed. Once he came into the limelight, Associated Press suggests Alcala may have claimed over 130 victims in his lifetime.
Anna Kendrick plays Cheryl Bradshaw
Anna Kendrick is beyond excited to be foraying into directorial waters with Woman of the Hour. She has certainly chosen a very intriguing subject to make a movie on, many of whose aspects she wasn’t aware of before coming on board. Kendrick plays the role of Cheryl Bradshaw, an aspiring actress who appears on the show and has to choose an eligible bachelor for a date.
Bradshaw’s character is rooted in real life and she did choose Alcala for a date. She virtually ignored her gut feeling and all the red flags that begged her to reconsider. However, in reality, Bradshaw turned down his advances when Alcala won The Dating Game. When the two met face to face, she felt deeply disconcerted by his demeanor and chose to end things there and then.
Fact vs Fiction in Woman of the Hour
Not many names and narratives have been changed in the movie to keep the story authentic and reliable. Alcala and Bradshaw’s trajectory has been shown with honesty even though the movie ends with Kendrick and Zovatto’s characters coming face to face.
Tony Hale plays the host of the show named Ed Burke. In reality, The Dating Game was hosted by Jim Lange. This is one of the two instances where the name of the person has been changed. The second name change is with the witness who testified against Alcala played by Autumn Best.
Woman of the Hour is streaming on Netflix.
