The 'Woman of the Hour' star recalled how a director publicly humiliated her after asking her to improvise during a scene
Anna Kendrick blasted an unnamed director who she said humiliated her in front of a crowd of background actors on set.
During a Monday interview on the "Happy, Sad, Confused" podcast, the 39-year-old actress was asked by host Josh Horowitz to share the "worst note that she ever got from a director."
The "Pitch Perfect" star recalled that a director asked her to improvise during a scene but then publicly ridiculed her efforts.
"I remember a director once in a room full of 100 extras or something — it really felt like a move — being like ‘Hey, on this next one just try something. Just make something up. Just improv something,'" she recalled.
Anna Kendrick slammed an unnamed director who embarrassed her in front of 100 extras. (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
Kendrick continued, "And doing it and then [the director] called cut and came over and, once again in front of 100 extras, went ‘Oof, let’s go back to the script!'"
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"It really felt like a very specific power move thing to embarrass, to gain dominance or something," she added. "It was very icky."
While the director did not appreciate Kendrick's ad-lib at the time, she recalled that it was later prominently featured in the film's promotional material.
"… The thing that I improved ended up in the trailer," Kendrick said. "So f--- you!"
Anna Kendrick appeared on Josh Horowitz's podcast "Happy, Sad, Confused" on Monday. (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)
Kendrick recently made her directorial debut with the crime thriller "Woman of the Hour," which premiered on Netflix on Oct. 18.
In addition to directing "Woman of the Hour," Kendrick also starred in the movie, which is based on the real-life story of serial killer Rodney Alcala.
Alcala was found guilty of murdering seven women in California and New York between 1977 and 1979. However, authorities believe that Alcala, who died on death row at the age of 77 in 2021, may have murdered up to 130 victims.
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While in the midst of his killing spree, Alcala appeared on the TV game show "The Dating Game" in 1978. He was one of three contestants vying for a date with the show's bachelorette, Cheryl Bradshaw. Alcala was pronounced the winner of the game, but he and Bradshaw ultimately did not go out on a date.
The actress made her directorial debut with the Netflix film "Woman of the Hour." (Leah Gallo/Netflix )
In "Woman of the Hour," Kendrick portrayed Bradshaw, while Daniel Zovatto played Alcala. A plot synopsis for the show read, "In 1970s Los Angeles, as a wave of murders makes headlines, a young woman aspiring to become an actress and a serial killer cross paths during an episode of a dating show."
Written by Ian McDonald, "Woman of the Hour" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept. 8 and was sold to Netflix for around $11 million, according to Variety.
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On a recent episode of Sirius XM's "Crime Junkie AF" podcast via People magazine, Kendrick revealed that she donated her portion of the film's proceeds to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) and the National Center for Victims of Violent Crime.
Kendrick played bachelorette Sheryl Bradshaw and Daniel Zovatto portrayed serial killer Rodney Alcala in the movie. (Leah Gallo/Netflix )
"Believe me, this was never a money-making venture for me, because all the resources went to actually making the movie," the Oscar nominee said.
"It wasn't until the week before TIFF that I thought 'Oh, the movie is going to make money,'" Kendrick remembered. "I went from being like, 'Let me know when the movie happens,' to being like, ‘Oh God, I am responsible for this.’
"… We just barely made the deadline to get into TIFF, and then it was like, 'Oh, there's money gonna be exchanging hands,' and I sort of asked myself the question, 'Do you feel gross about this?' And I did."
"I'm not making money off the movie," she explained. "The money is going to or has gone to RAINN and the National Center for Victims of Violent Crime. It's still a complicated area but that felt like the least that I should do."
Ashley Hume is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
