Daniel Zovatto plays serial killer Rodney Alcala in Woman of the Hour, Anna Kendrick’s feature directorial debut. Zovatto has described building the role through close attention to Alcala’s physical presence and behavior; the film, meanwhile, turns its focus toward the women whose lives he affected.
Who Daniel Zovatto plays in Woman of the Hour
Netflix identifies Zovatto as Rodney Alcala and Kendrick as Sheryl Bradshaw, the aspiring actor whose path crosses Alcala’s on The Dating Game. Kendrick also directs the film. Netflix presents the story not simply as a portrait of a killer, but as one centered on Alcala’s victims and the lives cut short by his crimes. Netflix’s film coverage introduces the cast and premise.
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The film is based around Alcala’s real 1978 appearance on the game show, where he won a date with contestant Cheryl Bradshaw. Its premise draws tension from the contrast between a light entertainment format and the danger that Bradshaw sensed.
How Zovatto prepared to play Alcala
In an interview with Us Weekly, Zovatto said he tried to reproduce Alcala’s physical presence. “Oh my God, I ate, like, pizza and ice cream all day. I just wanted to get heavier,” he recalled. He also said he studied Alcala’s apparent weight, movement, teeth, clothes and shoes.
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Zovatto described Alcala’s ability to change his manner as a challenge to researching him. He said he looked at photographs of Alcala’s victims that helped incriminate him; the interview notes that Alcala had worked as a photographer for years before his arrest. These are Zovatto’s descriptions of his preparation, rather than an independently documented account of every choice made for the performance.
What the film changes from the historical record
Woman of the Hour adapts events for dramatic effect. The Los Angeles Times reports two specific changes: Alcala was Bachelor No. 1 on the real show, while the film makes him Bachelor No. 3, and the prize was changed. The real contestant was Cheryl Bradshaw; the film uses the name Sheryl.
The broad historical point remains that Alcala appeared on the show and won a date, but not every on-screen detail is documentary reconstruction. Netflix reports that Alcala was ultimately convicted of seven murders in two states. Larger victim-count claims should be treated as estimates, not as a proven total. Netflix Tudum’s account of the real story summarizes the film’s historical basis.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the Dating Game scene matters
The danger in the scene is sharpened by the gap between what viewers know and what the television audience could see. Former homicide prosecutor Matt Murphy, who worked on the Alcala case and consulted on the film, described The Dating Game as a “risque G-rated show” built on silly double entendre, reflecting a more innocent television era, in The Guardian.
The discomfort was not invented after the fact. The Guardian quotes contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger recalling that Bradshaw said she could not go out with Alcala because he gave her “weird vibes,” and that she was not comfortable. Metzger told her that would not be a problem.
Kendrick has described the film’s larger concern as a woman moving from shrinking herself and trying to please others toward reclaiming power. She also frames its dilemma as a question women face about living authentically while weighing the danger that can bring. Those comments, published by Netflix Tudum, help explain why the story is not only about Zovatto’s transformation: it is also about warning signs, constrained choices and whose perspective the film asks viewers to attend to.
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