'Woman of the Hour' Author Talks Approaching True Crime with 'Empathy'

Although Woman of the hour Taking some creative liberties, the true crime writer wanted to capture the “emotional reality” of the Rodney Alcala murders.

After a Saturday screening of the Netflix film hosted by the Writers Guild of America, screenwriter Ian McDonald told me in a question-and-answer session that he felt a “commitment” to the victims and survivors of Alcala because that The true crime genre is becoming increasingly full of spectacle and sensationalism.

“I mean, it's difficult because, on the one hand, it should just be a basic principle in writing any kind of thriller,” he explained. “If you want to be afraid for someone, you have to kind of know who they are, and you have to know where they come from, where they're going, and what they care about, and the more you can get to know them, the more you'll feel the loss a person can feel when something terrible is happening to them or when they are simply in danger. And yet at the same time this isn't a thriller, I mean it isn't Girl with the dragon tattoo.”

McDonald continued: “These are real people with real lives, and when you spend years, as I did, reading article after article after article about their deaths, at a certain point you feel compelled to do so – even as I change. “ their names and changing their biographies to reflect the fact that they didn't choose to be part of the story, Rodney did it because of his choices – you feel an obligation to be empathetic in the telling and to bear in mind that there are still families who know it exists, even if they don't see the film.

“And I hope that if they were to see it, they would feel that the portrayal is respectful and that these people are not just fodder to be killed for fun,” he added.

In Woman of the hourNow available to stream on Netflix, Anna Kendrick plays struggling actress Cheryl Bradshaw as she lands a spot on the screen The dating game and has a scary encounter with candidate Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) during his nationwide killing spree. The film also contains flashbacks of Alcala's victims and survivors.

The film is Kendrick's directorial debut and also stars Autumn Best, Nicolette Robinson, Kathryn Gallagher, Pete Holmes and Tony Hale.

While Ryan Murphy defended his recent controversial anthology Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik MenendezAlso at Netflix, when he showed “many, many, many perspectives” and theories surrounding the cast, McDonald explained that his approach to the genre and his creative freedom were in the service of “emotional truth.”

An example is the character of Laura (portrayed by Robinson), a friend of one of Alcala's victims, who recognizes him during the taping of the dating show. Although Laura wasn't a real person, McDonald was inspired by “all these examples of friends and family remembering, 'Oh God, I saw this guy in a bar and he seemed off, but I didn't mean to.' say.'” “My boyfriend said not to talk to him because she seemed like she was having a good time, and then I never saw her again and lived with that guilt… and how traumatic that was .”

“And that was a perspective that we thought was really important to be in somewhere,” McDonald explained. “So you try to find these creative and economical ways to integrate these viewpoints into the narrative.”

Currently Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and #1 Movie on Netflix, Kendrick previously told Deadline that she was attracted to her Woman of the hour about the “heartbreak” in McDonald's script and explained that she “felt really sick at the thought” of anyone else directing it.