Anna Kendrick said that she felt “gross” making money off her Netflix movie about a real-life serial killer, so she donated the profits to two charities that help victims of assault.
The “Pitch Perfect” star made her directorial debut with “Woman of the Hour,” which is based on prolific murderer Rodney Alcala, aka “‘The Dating Game’ Killer.” On the latest “Crime Junkie AF” podcast, she said she had “some valid ethical questions around [profiting from] true crime.”
Kendrick explained she never considered “Woman of the Hour” as a “money-making venture” as her focus had been on submitting it to the Toronto International Film Festival.
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“Eventually, Netflix bought the movie. But, it wasn’t until the week before TIFF that I thought, ‘Oh, the movie’s going to make money,’” Kendrick said. “We just barely made the deadline to get into TIFF, then it was like, ‘There’s going to be money exchanging hands.’ I asked myself, ‘Do you feel gross about this?’ And I did.”
She added that she donated the money from the Netflix sale to two charities that help survivors of violent attacks: RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and the National Center for Victims of Crimes. The filmmaker also noted that donating “felt like the least that I should do.”
Scott Berkowitz, the founder and president of RAINN confirmed the donation to EW, saying, “We’re so grateful to Anna Kendrick for her support of RAINN and all survivors, and for being a compassionate storyteller when it comes to raising awareness of sexual violence. Her donation will help us continue to provide free, 24/7 support through RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline.”
“Woman of the Hour” is now streaming on Netflix.
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