Anna Kendrick

Up Close and Personal with Anna Kendrick: From Actor to Thriller Director in “Woman of the Hour”

We sat down with Anna Kendrick, and let’s just say—she’s not playing it safe anymore. With Woman of the Hour, Kendrick trades her usual on-screen charm for a directorial edge, diving headfirst into the gritty, real-life tension of her debut film. Known for her Oscar, Tony, and Emmy nominations, Kendrick is now adding “thriller director” to her already stacked résumé, and trust us, she’s not holding back, the result is nothing short of mesmerizing. Based on chilling real-life events, the film plunges viewers into the dark heart of a 1970s game show—where the stakes turn deadly.

In our no-filter chat, Kendrick dishes on how stepping behind the camera wasn’t just a move—it was a statement. She breaks down the tough decisions, the bold risks, and how she turned a twisted 1970s true crime into a hypnotic, pulse-pounding thriller. Woman of the Hour is a game-changer for her, and after this debut, Anna’s career is about to get even more thrilling.

Kendrick’s direction expertly blends suspense with an eerie, psychedelic vibe that transports you straight into the unsettling ambiance of the era. The soundtrack hums with a hypnotic rhythm, drawing you in deeper as the tension builds and twists, leaving you guessing right up until the final moment.

Woman of the Hour is streaming on Netflix, premiering October 18th. Don’t miss this taut, atmospheric thriller—Kendrick is clearly as skilled behind the lens as she is in front of it.

Dimitri: Congratulations on your film “Woman of the Hour” on Netflix.

Anna Kendrick: Oh. Thank you.

Dimitri: I watched it without knowing you directed it until the end credits rolled. Congratulations on your directorial debut.

Anna Kendrick: Thank you. Oh my gosh, that’s amazing. I wish that I could have everybody watch it without knowing much about it, but, you know.

Dimitri: How did you get attached to that script? This script was on “The Black List” for a while.

Anna Kendrick: I was sent the script a couple of years ago and I loved the script. I knew of the story and basically knew what I think most people know, which is that there once was a murderer who went on a dating game. And, you know, I didn’t know much beyond that. I was surprised by how emotional the script was. So I signed on as an actress and producer, which is pretty common in the industry to like a movie you’re attached to and wait to see if and when it’ll actually get made. And then there is another common thing in the industry that you’re waiting and waiting, and then all of a sudden, you know, it’s happening really quickly. We suddenly had a start date and no director and we were scrambling to find a director, and I realized that I would be heartbroken if somebody else came on board and steered the ship because I loved the script so much. So a couple of days later, I had worked up the courage to pitch myself to direct the movie. Okay. And then six weeks later, I was in Canada doing location scouting and casting. So it was it was overwhelming but really exciting. I just felt I guess for the two years that I had been attached as an actress and producer there were a lot of things that I had secretly felt like – Oh, well, if it was my movie, I would want to do it this way, but it’s not up to me. I was happy that I didn’t have time to second guess it and back out because I think that if I had had more time, I would have I would have bailed.

Dimitri: Did you do any script rewrites for your version?

Anna Kendrick: I finally got to work directly with Ian McDonald the screenwriter. I had the benefit of having read two years’ worth of different drafts of the movie. Throughout those drafts, there had been scenes that had come in and out of the script. First of all, I got to cherry-pick my favorite moments of all drafts that I’d read. Ian and I worked on changing the ending of the movie, it took us a while to crack into how to do it. But that was a fun process. I loved working with Ian.

Dimitri: The script is fantastic, plus you are attached as an Actor/Producer. I think you did a fantastic job. When I screened your film without any idea that you directed, it looked so seasoned and mature.

Anna Kendrick: That makes me so happy. I got really lucky with my cast and my crew. They deserve all the credit in the world. I think Canadian film crews are about as professional as they come. I’ve made so many movies in Canada, so I was lucky to have a lot of people who knew what they were doing. I was in the wonderful hands of my cast and crew.

Dimitri: You still manage to get the authentic look of the 1970s which is fantastic. The soundtrack is eerie, while you still have those bright 1970s colors throughout the film.

Anna Kendrick: It was challenging to make 1970s Los Angeles in the winter in Vancouver, so that’s great. There are shots in the movie where everything like inches outside of the frame is covered in snow. We were all brushing snow off of tree branches and stuff.

Dimitri:  You have amazing cast mates, especially Daniel Zovatto.

Anna Kendrick: Daniel is amazing in the movie and he couldn’t be more of an adorable, sweet teddy bear in real life. So I was really happy that I was working with someone who was such a sweetheart and who made everybody feel super comfortable, he had to play such a scary person that it was nice that it was balanced out with his truly lovely personality.

Dimitri: It’s a fascinating story considering a crazy guy went on a dating show, Interesting how many people could pull this off these days.

Anna Kendrick: I think something is compelling about the story because the idea of a killer going on a game show is interesting, but the fact that he went on a dating game show is just so much weirder because it’s such a perfect metaphor for the idea of like when you meet someone new, you know, who’s really behind the curtain? Do I know that person? On “The Dating Game”, The Bachelorette couldn’t physically see him. But obviously, like when we’re going on dates or, you know, people using dating apps, like, even if they’re in person how can you know who someone is at their core?

Dimitri: This is no different from social media these days or people using dating apps, you don’t know anything about them. It’s just a facade, purely a few photos and there are so many scams of all sorts happening, through social media. How do you want this story to resonate these days considering that it’s been 45 years since it happened?

Anna Kendrick: Obviously we wanted to make the film as accurate to the 1970s as we could but at the same time, I wanted the movie, the story, to feel timeless. Even though there’s some overt misogyny in the movie that maybe, you wouldn’t get away with in professional settings these days. The themes still apply because there is always that question of who are you underneath the facade that you’re showing me. And I think that story feels relevant now, I have a friend who’s on dating apps, and she’s always telling me these crazy stories, and, you know, it’s mostly silly and fun but there’s always that question lingering in your mind, I guess.

Dimitri: Absolutely. I think this story is more relevant now than, let’s say, 20 years ago. So it has more relevance now because we are so submerged in social media, the amount of attention that people get due to these platforms, and provides nothing of value. “Rodney Alcala” having no social platforms in the 1970s went on a dating show to get that glorified attention or maybe self-sabotage.

You have received such fantastic feedback from the industry, do you want to find another passion directing project?

Anna Kendrick: So that’s good. I’m too sensitive to read any reviews.

Dimitri: You’re you’re safe. You’re absolutely safe.

Anna Kendrick: I do hope that I get to direct more but I confess, I think that I hit the jackpot with this script. I just felt so personally connected to the material that kept me going through. All the usual and unusual challenges of making a movie. So I haven’t found a script yet that gives me that same level of passion. There was a period where I was like, oh, just pick something, find something, now you realize that these scripts deserve somebody who you know well, who would be heartbroken if somebody else did it. So I guess I’m trying to make sure that if I direct something else, I feel this strongly about it.

Dimitri: You are amazing at hitting jackpots and stuff. Your Broadway debut, your Tony Nomination, your Academy Awards Nomination, and Emmys too. 

Anna Kendrick: Yeah, I know, maybe I should buy a lottery ticket. (laughs)

Dimitri: Have you tried casinos?

Anna Kendrick: Can you imagine me in a casino? Oh my God. I would be such a buzzkill. Nobody would want me at the table.

Dimitri: Yeah, there’s one five minutes from here.

Anna Kendrick: Maybe if it was in Monaco, I would go to the casino.

Dimitri: Can you tell us what you loved the most about directing?

Anna Kendrick: I’ll say that one thing that I loved about directing was getting to work with so many talented actors you know, obviously I’ve dedicated my life to acting. Of course, nothing makes me more excited than seeing a great performance. Being the person who gets to see three takes of brilliance and having to decide, which one to use later. Feels like such a privilege that I got to see all these incredible actors give great performances firsthand. One of the greatest experiences of my life.

Dimitri: By the way, who was your Director of Photography?

Anna Kendrick: His name is Zach Cooperstein.

Dimitri: Brilliant work. He’s great.

Anna Kendrick: From Zach, Brent Thomas, the production designer, as you say, we’re trying to keep it to the 1970s authenticity on a very limited schedule and a very limited budget. I hit the jackpot with the crew too.

Dimitri: The film premiers on October 18th on Netflix. Are you doing any theatrical release?

Anna Kendrick: It’s in select theaters too.

Dimitri: That’s amazing. What do you have coming up next, do you have anything planned or are you just going to relax for a little bit?

Anna Kendrick: Well, I, we finished shooting “A Simple Favor Two”. Okay. So I haven’t seen it yet, but you know, Paul Feig managed to make the second movie even crazier than the first one, somehow. And I was just really happy to be shooting in Italy for a few months, so that was so much fun.

Dimitri: Absolutely. You can never say no to Italy.

Anna Kendrick: Exactly.

Dimitri: Whereabouts in Italy did you shoot?

Anna Kendrick: We shot in Rome and Capri. Oh, beautiful. I know, it’s a tough life, but somebody’s got to do it, you know?

Dimitri: Exactly. What do you do besides being awesome?

Anna Kendrick: Gosh, I don’t know. Well, I’m in this tiny little room in my house because I had water damage on my floors. So they’re working on the floors or something. So I guess I’m just trying to sort of keep my life stuff intact. Because you do go away for three, four months at a time, and you come back and you’re like, oh, there’s water damage in my house. Like it’s always kind of something when you live out of a suitcase, and then you come home and you’re like, oh, God, I gotta make sure that things are okay.

Dimitri: How was your photo shoot with Mike Ruiz?

Anna Kendrick: It was great. I get self-conscious during photo shoots, but with Mike, I had a great time.

Dimitri: If there was a chance to give your younger self advice, what kind of advice would you give yourself?

Anna Kendrick: I think that directing the movie made me realize that there’s nothing that I would say to my past self. Like whether it was two years ago, ten years ago, you know. Because I think, there are things in the movie as an example where I’m like, oh, I wish I had done this or I, you know, I wish I’d known that I wasn’t going to use that one shot that day, or something. And the truth is, I’m just so over the moon happy with the performances and like the way that the movie came together and the fact that we got the people involved in the movie that we did. And it’s like the butterfly effect where it’s like this terror that if you change anything, you know, the thing that really matters will change as well. So, I don’t know, I guess I wouldn’t say anything because then I don’t know, things might be different. I might have avoided 1 or 2 mistakes, but I’m so grateful for the way that most things have turned out.