Anna Kendrick donates fees for successful crime film

Anna Kendrick said she donated her fees from hit Netflix crime film “Woman of the Hour” to two victims' charities because she would have felt “disgusting” if she had benefited from it.

Kendrick directed and starred in the film about a serial killer who, in the midst of his crimes, appeared on a 1970s television dating show.

The star said she didn't expect the film to make money and hadn't thought about the possibility until the premiere.

“I was just making the movie… and then it was like, oh, there's money being exchanged. And I asked myself the question: Does this make you feel gross? And I did. And so, yeah, I'm not making any money from the film.

In addition to directing Woman of the Hour, Kendrick stars as Cheryl Bradshaw, who starred with Rodney Alcala in 1978's Dating Game.

Alcala was later found guilty of eight murders between 1971 and 1979, but is suspected of killing more than 100 women and girls.

Speaking to Ashley Flowers, host of the Crime Junkie podcast, Kendrick said: “We're both concerned with some really valid ethical questions surrounding true crime.”

The “Pitch Perfect” and “Trolls” star continued, “Believe me, this was never a money-making venture for me because all the resources were actually just used to produce the movie.”

“But it wasn't until the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) where the film premiered, and it's this big film festival where someone buys films… and eventually Netflix bought the film.”

“But it wasn't until the week before TIFF that I thought, oh, the movie is going to make money.”

At the time, Netflix was said to have paid $11 million (£8.5 million) for the rights.

Kendrick did not disclose her fee. She said she donated it to the charities Rainn (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and the National Center for Victims of Crime.

“It's still a complicated area, but it seemed like the least I should do,” she added.

According to Netflix, “Woman of the Hour” was viewed the equivalent of 23 million times in the two weeks following its release earlier this month.

Kendrick explained: “It's really supposed to be the story of the impact he has [Alcala] had on the people who were unlucky enough to meet him, so the goal was always to put women's stories front and center.