SPOILER WARNING: This story discusses plot details from “Girl of the Hour,” now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix’s “Girl of the Hour” marks Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, but that wasn’t the film’s only breakthrough performance. Of all the victims presented, one young woman stands out in the ripped-from-the-headlines plot: Amy, a teenage runaway, survived her encounter with serial killer Rodney Alcala. In the midst of his murder spree, he participated in “The Courting Game” in the seventies.
Amy is played by Autumn Finest, who makes her film debut in the lead role. She’s an alum of the CW series “The 4400,” but believe it or not, she went into the audition with little to no hope of landing the role.
She was working as a barista at an espresso shop in Chicago when she discovered the alternative. “I got the email and thought, there’s no way they’re going to cast me in this Anna Kendrick movie — not just because it was Anna Kendrick, and she’s cool, but I only have one hand,” advised Finest Selection at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on October 10.
She had hoped to land a role in a feature-length drama film, but Finest thought she would be the predicted final choice for this film. “Every time I audition for something that’s a real-life story, I immediately write it off,” she explained. “Because I convinced myself that no one would ever want to hire me to paint a real picture that had no limb distinction.”
Then, shortly after submitting her audition tape, Finest’s agent called to let her know that Kendrick needed to meet on Zoom to brainstorm the character. “I was working at the coffee shop at that time when I received the decision. So I was like, ‘Let me out for a minute,’” Finest said. “It was just so exciting!”
Finest and Kendrick became “best friends” during filming. “She’s going to read what I think,” Finest said of working with her director. “She could just tell when I was, like, just tired or cold, or just crazy.” (Introducing the film at its premiere, Kendrick affectionately described Finest as his “literal daughter.”)
Daniel Zovatto (who plays Alcala) also praised Finest. “I just think she has a very bright future,” he said before recounting his experience filming a moving and pulse-pounding sequence where Rodney attacks Amy while in the desert.
“It was six in the morning and it was very cold. The sand was actually ice. Autumn wasn’t flaunting anything and that woman was allowed to go. She said, ‘Let’s do this,’” Zovatto said. “When you have a co-star like that, it just makes it so much fun because everyone is on board. I loved working with that woman.”
Finest said Kendrick comforted her while filming the difficult scene, wrapping her in blankets between takes and reassuring her about her performance. “She was very, very quick to just say, ‘Hey, I’ll see you,’” Finest said. “Someone saying, ‘I see you’ makes the day easier because you don’t feel like you’re pretending it’s not hard.”
Kendrick also shared his perspective. “It’s funny, because I don’t really consider myself a naturally affectionate person,” she said. “But that wasn’t something I had to think about too much, because I know how much I was asking of the actors in the film. I’ve been in this situation and I understand how much you’re giving yourself.” Kendrick added, “Everyone handled the fabric with such reverence, which made me very emotional.”
In fact, all of the women who portrayed Alcala’s victims shared how the supportive environment Kendrick created on set was crucial to their success, especially during the more intense scenes.
“The moment my most difficult moment was realized, Anna came out from behind the screen with tears streaming down her face and she said, ‘Are you okay?’” said Kathryn Gallagher, who plays Charlie. She identified how unusual this type of energy is. “It really shows that you can have an extremely warm, protected and comfortable set without any sacrifices to create an incredible film. She set a very high standard.
Nicolette Robinson (whose character Laura is an amalgamation of whistleblowers who have tried to raise questions about Alcala over the years) appreciated Kendrick’s insight as well as his sensitivity.
“I knew we were in really good arms,” Robinson said, describing Kendrick as a dream to work with. “As actors, we don’t receive a variety of validations. In reality, you don’t know if what you’re doing that day is working. (But) she was very vocal and so supportive of reinforcing optimism.”
Kelley Jakle, who has known Kendrick since co-starring in the “Pitch Excellent” films, plays Sara, the first victim shown on screen. “There was a stance, before I even opened my eyes, I felt her arms around me in that big bear hug,” Jakle recalled. “It was such a lovely moment, both for our friendship and for dealing with her as director.”