Inside The Real Rodney Alcala's “Dating Game” episode video

Woman of the Hour star and director Anna Kendrick says the real Rodney Alcala's appearance on a dating game show “really shaped” his character in the Netflix thriller.

Alcala, a convicted serial killer, appeared as a bachelor on a 1978 episode of “The Dating Game,” competing with two other men for a date with bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw.

Alcala was ultimately convicted of seven murders committed in California and New York in the 1970s.

Kendrick says she was impressed by the charm of the real Alcala in the game show footage.

“When Rodney laughs, there's something boyish and embarrassed about him,” she tells TODAY.com, referencing available archival footage of Alcala's appearance on the show.

“You can see him like a little kid, just excited,” she continues. “And I thought that was really insightful about the duality of this terrible person who had these very disarming, childlike qualities that would certainly make you feel like you weren't in danger.”

The video from the “Dating Game” episode shows Bradshaw and Alcala's natural banter during a risqué conversation.

“What's your best time?” Bradshaw asked Alcala from the other side of the curtain on the show. He replied: “The best time is at night, at night.” Later he said: “It gets really good in the evening.”

“I’ll serve you for dinner. What is your name and what do you look like?” Bradshaw asked Alcala at a later date.

“I'm called 'the banana' and I'm really good looking,” he replied.

When asked to elaborate, he added: “Peel me.”

At the end of the episode, they stood side by side as they learned they had won tennis lessons and a trip to an amusement park.

Alcala's outward charm is shocking in retrospect, considering that he had already committed murders by the time he appeared on The Dating Game, unbeknownst to the show's producers. The presenter introduced him as a photographer, another disturbing detail since he often lured victims with the promise of taking photos of them.

Several moments from “Woman of the Hour” are heavily inspired by the game show's archival footage, including the host's allusive introduction of Bradshaw.

“She used to work as a foot massager, but she quit when her boss asked her to work her way up,” said host Jim Lange on the real show, a line repeated almost verbatim in the film.

In both the film and the real-life dating show, Alcala's first words to Bradshaw are, “We're going to have a great time together, Cheryl,” accompanied by a flirtatious smile.

There are some differences between the actual footage from “The Dating Game” and the depiction of the episode in “Woman of the Hour.”

For example, in the film, Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) is Bachelor #3, while in the real series he is Bachelor #1. Additionally, in the real episode, Bradshaw is introduced as an acting teacher from Phoenix, Arizona, while her character in the film is an aspiring actress.

Despite these minor differences, the film captures the essence of Alcala's character from the show footage and explores the dissonance Kendrick mentions between his stage charisma and his real-life violence.

In both the film and the real dating show, Bradshaw picks Alcala as her winner, with the intention of meeting him after the show.

But in real life the date never happened. The show's former contestant coordinator, Ellen Metzger, recalled a conversation she had with Bradshaw after the show ended.

“She said, ‘Ellen, I can’t date this guy. Strange vibrations are coming from him. He is very strange. I don't feel well. Is that going to be a problem?'” Metzger said on “20/20” in 2021. “And of course I said 'No'.”

In the film, Cheryl actually goes out with Rodney – and barely makes it out alive.

Kendrick praised Zovatto, whom she describes as “so warm and lovely” in real life, for finding a way to identify with the character of Alcala and approach the role with nuance.

“(Zovatto) was really willing to make himself the hero of his own story, which I think is difficult when you're playing someone who's an irredeemable monster,” she says.

Kendrick said that ultimately the film isn't about figuring out why Alcala “was the way he was” or explaining his psychology.

“That's why I have a special love for (Zovatto) because he had to give a really scary, nuanced performance and he's not really the focus of a scene. That's a generous thing for an actor to do,” she says.

Alcala was convicted of seven murders during his life, although authorities suspect he may actually be responsible for the deaths of more than 100 people.

He died of natural causes on death row in California at age 77, according to prison officials. Bradshaw has also since died.