Details on Danny Zovatto, who plays dating game killer Rodney Alcala

Danny Zovatto entered the mind of the infamous dating game Killer, Rodney Alcalafor his new film Woman of the hour – and it all started with his physical transformation.

“Oh my God, I've been eating pizza and ice cream all day. I just wanted to get heavier,” Zovatto, 33, said exclusively Us weekly before the release of the Netflix film. “When I saw pictures of Rodney, I noticed that he seemed a little heavier than me. And the way he moved, his teeth, the weight he carried. I focused a lot on it. And of course the (’70s-inspired) clothes, the shoes and all those things help.”

Anna Kendricks The directorial debut, which debuted on Netflix on Friday, October 18, tells the story of one of the most notorious serial killers of the '70s to appear on Netflix The dating game show. Alcala was one of the contestants in an episode of “Bachelorette” in 1978. Cheryl Bradshaw (played by Kendrick in the film). While Rodney ultimately convinced Cheryl to use his charm, she later told casting directors that she wouldn't go through with the date after getting strange “vibes” from him.

It was later revealed that Rodney had been killing for almost a decade before appearing on the game show. He was arrested in 1979 and although he was sentenced to death in 1980 and 1986, the judges changed their minds twice. He finally received a final death sentence in 2010 after new evidence was uncovered. Although he was ultimately charged in the deaths of seven women, prosecutors speculate that his actual victim list could be over 130. He died in 2021 from unknown natural causes.

Because of Alcala's “chameleon-like” behavior, it was challenging to conduct extensive research, Zovatto said. (Scenes of this particular The dating game (The episode exists online, but the episode appears to have been lost in its entirety.) Instead, Zovatto examined the victim photos that were found, which ultimately helped incriminate Alcala, who had worked as a photographer for years before his arrest.

“He had a camera with him the whole time, so he would go around and take pictures of women, young women and little boys,” Zovatto explained. “He left a locker room with all these pictures. And many of these images were released by the police because many of these (victims) still haven't been found. So that was the most important information for me because it just showed me what he did during the ten years of his killing spree.”

Zovatto noted that Alcala had the ability to engage people and “make them feel comfortable” so that they could let down their “guard” and capture “who they were.”

“So he could just be a chameleon and charm and manipulate people,” he continued. “And for me that was the golden key to everything. I thought, 'Oh my God, now I know who this guy is.' Because a lot of the information (that's out there) comes from after The Dating Game, when he was caught, and from the court cases.”

While Woman of the hour While the film certainly goes into detail about Alcala's life and grotesque murders, it has caused a stir because Kendrick decided to turn the true crime story on its head by focusing more on Alcala's female victims. That decision, Zovatto said, was just one of the reasons he was excited to be part of the project.

“(Rodney is) one of those characters that you hope to play one day. When Anna called and said she had this script and this character and she was looking at me for the role, the first thing I asked was, 'Are you sure about this?'” he said with a laugh. “But it's a really cool take on a story that we've seen in a lot of different ways, which usually glorifies the serial killer. In this case it was told from the perspective of a woman and Anna (as Cheryl), but also to give space to the victims.”

Zovatto said that Kendrick's approach “really intrigued him” and his interest only grew when he heard how “passionate” she was about telling the story. “It made the decision easy for me,” he said. “Rodney is really interesting and I just wanted to get under his skin and see how that went.”

The actor – who is known for his roles in horror projects like Fear the walking dead, what follows and more – had a head start in getting into the role as he is a big true crime fan in real life.

“I'm a big one Dateline guy,” he admitted. “Any true crime, whatever, I sit down and watch it. So when I heard about (this story), I was like, 'Dude, I think I've heard this before.'”

Zovatto noted that even after taking on the role, he was still shocked at how Alcala was able to “pull off” half of his crimes.

“It's just crazy that this man used his real name and appeared on one of the coolest and most popular shows. I mean, that’s ridiculous,” he said. “I was aware of it, but not every single detail, and when I got into it I just couldn't believe it. I thought, 'This is unreal.'”

Portraying such a dark role isn't easy, and Zovatto confessed that there were days on set where the role left him in a dark “head position,” which is why he was grateful for Kendrick's decision to do the actual dating game scenes to create dream scenes. like fantasy sequences.

“There were days when Ronnie was the charming guy, so those days were a little easier, but I had a lot of time to myself,” he said Us. “While The dating game As part of the show, which we shot like a play – it was about a 20, 25 page scene that only lasted 30 minutes – we did that over and over again. It felt like we were actually on the show, so there were moments where we could breathe and I could talk to the (other) bachelors. The whole sequence was really fun.”

Zovatto noted that as an actress herself, Kendrick really understood the “rhythms of it all” and was aware of when he might “need his space” during filming. “She was really respectful,” he said. “It felt really good to be here together.” He added that Kendrick did an “amazing job” behind the camera overall, which he attributes to their decades of experience in Hollywood.

“What I appreciated about our collaboration was the confidence she gave me to try things out.” “Trusting my instincts,” he enthused Pitch perfect Star. “And she was very positive and just like someone who supported me and helped me and pushed me and was by my side while we worked. I really appreciate that.”

Over the course of his career, Zovatto has been “lucky” to work with a long list of female directors, something he reportedly “always” enjoys doing. “I just feel like the conversations are different,” he said Us.

“I mean, for example, in this story, a lot of the terrible (crimes) that Rodney commits with these victims are not flashy, not gory, not visual,” he explained. “I feel like the way it's told, by hearing things like the breathing and the fighting and not seeing it, I think it's stronger because the imagination takes you somewhere else. “You don't have to see. You already know what’s happening.”

Zovatto admitted that it can sometimes be “trickier” to allude to terrible things off-screen and still achieve the same creepy effect, but that Kendrick knocked it out of the park every time.

“Her sensitivity comes from a woman's point of view and she tells this terrible story about Rodney from her perspective. I feel like it benefits (the film) and I think we're not used to it. And I think that’s what sets it apart from every other (true crime) story that focuses on (the murderer’s) trials, the lawyers and all that nonsense.”

If anyone knows what works in horror or thrillers, it's Zovatto, who has made a name for himself in both genres. Although he enjoys becoming a real-life scream king as a huge horror fan, the actor is definitely open to trying something lighter in the future – like a wholesome romantic comedy.

“I’ve never done one before, so let’s say yes,” he said with a laugh. When asked who his dream partner would be, Zovatto didn't hesitate. “Jennifer Aniston. “I'm going to continue with my crush from when I was younger,” he said. “This will never happen, but Jennifer Aniston will.”

Woman of the hour is now streaming on Netflix.