Danny Zovatto Details Playing Dating Game Killer Rodney Alcala

Danny Zovatto entered the mind of those who are not famous The Dating Game Killer, Rodney Alcalafor his new film Woman of the Hour – and it all started with his physical transformation.

“Oh my God, I ate, like, pizza and ice cream all day. I wanted to be really hard,” Zovatto, 33, said to himself Us Weekly prior to the release of the Netflix film. “I noticed that, from seeing photos of Rodney, he seemed a little heavier than me. And the way he moved, his teeth, the weight he carried. I focused a lot on that. And, apparently, the [’70s-inspired] clothes and shoes and all that helps.”

This is Anna Kendrick’s place The directorial debut, which hit Netflix on Friday, October 18, tells the story of one of the most famous serial killers of the 70s. The Dating Game the show. Alcala was one of the contestants during the 1978 episode of The Bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw (played by Kendrick in the film), and Rodney eventually won Cheryl over to use his charm, later telling the show’s directors that he wouldn’t go a day after getting strange “vibes” from her.

It was later discovered that Rodney had been murdering for nearly ten years prior to appearing on the game show. He was arrested in 1979, and although he received death sentences in 1980 and 1986, the judges changed their minds twice. He eventually received the death penalty in 2010 after new evidence was discovered. Although he was ultimately charged with the deaths of seven women, prosecutors believe his actual list of victims may be as many as 130. Died of unspecified natural causes in 2021.

Because of Alcala’s “chameleon-like” behavior, Zovatto said doing more research is challenging. (Scenes of this The Dating Game (The episode is available online, but the episode as a whole seems to have been lost in time.) Instead, Zovatto researched the photos found of the victim that ultimately helped incriminate Alcala, who worked as a photographer for years before his arrest.

“He had a camera with him all the time, so he was walking around and photographing women and young women and little boys,” Zovatto explained. “There was a dressing room that he left with all these pictures. And these photos, many of them were released by the police because many of these [victims] they have not been found. So that was a big piece of information for me because it just showed me in those 10 years of his murder what he was doing.”

The actor noted that Alcala had the ability to bring people and “make them feel free” enough to put their “guardians” in order to capture “who they were.”

“So he was able to become a chameleon and attract people and control them,” he continued. “And for me that was the golden key to everything. I was like, ‘Oh my God, now I know who this guy is.’ Because it’s a lot of information [that’s out there] The Dating Game site when he was caught and like in the tests.”

While Woman of the Hour certainly detailing Alcala’s gruesome life and murder, the film gained notoriety for Kendrick’s decision to turn the true crime story on its head by focusing more on Alcala’s female victims. That decision, Zovatto said, was only part of why he was happy to be a part of this project.

“[Rodney is] one of those characters you hope to play one day. So when Anna called and said she had this script and this character, and she looked at me in a certain part, first of all, I said, ‘Are you sure about that?’” he said with a laugh. “But it’s really fun to take a story that we’ve seen in so many different ways, usually highlighting a serial killer. In this example, it was told from a woman’s point of view, as well as from Anna’s point of view [as Cheryl]but also to give space to the victims.”

For Zovatto, it was Kendrick’s approach that “really intrigued him,” and his interest grew when he heard how “passionate” he is about storytelling. “It made it easier for me to follow,” he said. “Rodney is really interesting, and I wanted to get under his skin and see how that went.”

Actor – known for his roles in horror-centric projects like Fear the Walkers, It’s Next and more – he had a leg up when he got into character as he is a big fan of true crime in real life.

“I am a big person The date line boy,” he said Us. “Any true crime, like, I’ll sit down and watch it. So when I heard about [this story]I said, ‘Dude, I think I’ve heard of this before.’

Even after participating, Zovatto remained shocked at how Alcala was able to “pull off” part of his crime.

“It’s just crazy that this man used his real name to get on a cool and popular show. I mean that’s ridiculous,” he said. “Like I knew, but not all the details, and when I got into it I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘This is not true.’

Portraying such a sinister role is not easy, and Zovatto admitted that there were days when he would go into a dark “head” about the role. That’s why we appreciate Kendrick’s decision to make it real The Dating Game scenes as a sequence of dream-like thoughts.

“There were days when Ronnie was a good-looking guy, so those days were a little easier, but I had a lot of time to myself,” he said. Us. “On time The Dating Game part of the show, which we shot as a play – it was about a 20, 25 page scene that just went on for 30 minutes – we would do it over and over and over. It was like we were actually on the show, so there were times when we could breathe and I could talk to [other] bachelors. All those sequences were really fun.”

Zovatto noted that as an actor himself, Kendrick really understood “the rhythm of it all,” and knew when to “need his space” while filming. “He was really respectful,” he said. “It felt like a really good set to be on.” He added that Kendrick, overall, did a “great job” behind the camera, which he credits to his decades of experience working in Hollywood.

‘What I love about our working relationship is the trust it has instilled in me to try things. Trusting in my actions,” he said Pitch Perfect star. “And he was very positive and like a person who was there to support and help and push and be there for me while we were working. I really appreciate that.”

Throughout her career, Zovatto has been “lucky” enough to work with a long list of female directors, something she says she “always” loves to do. “I feel like the conversations are different,” he said Us.

“I mean, for example, in this story, a lot of bad things [crimes] what Rodney did with these victims, it’s not glamorous, it’s not, it’s not visible,” he explained. “I feel like the way it’s talked about hearing things like breathing and feeling the struggle and not seeing it, in my opinion, is powerful because your thinking takes you to another place. You don’t need to see it. You already know what’s going on.”

While allusions to bad things on screen and still the same bone-chilling effect can sometimes be “hard” to undo, Kendrick knocked it out of the park every time.

“Her sensitivity comes from a woman’s point of view and telling this horrible story about Rodney from her point of view. I feel like it’s worth it [the film]and I think we are not used to it. And I think that’s kind of what separates it from any other [true crime] the story will focus on [killer’s] trials, lawyers and all that nonsense.”

If anyone knows what works in the realm of horror or thriller, it’s Zovatto, who has made a name for himself in both genres. But while being a real Scream King is something he’s passionate about as a horror fan himself, the actor is open to trying something lighter — like, a healthy romantic comedy, for example — in the future.

“I’ve never done one, so let’s say yes,” he said with a laugh. When asked who would pay for his dream, Zovatto didn’t hesitate: “Jennifer Aniston. I will go with my crush from where I am [was younger]. It won’t happen, but Jennifer Aniston. “

Woman of the Hour now streaming on Netflix.