Danny Zovatto Details Playing Dating Game Killer Rodney Alcala 

Danny Zovatto stepped into the mind of the infamous Dating Game Killer, Rodney Alcala, for 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 just wanted to get heavier,” Zovatto, 33, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the Netflix film’s release. “I noticed that, seeing pictures of Rodney, he seemed a little heavier than I am. And the way that he moved, his teeth, the weight that he carried. I focused a lot on that. And, obviously, the [’70s-inspired] clothing and the shoes and all that stuff, it all helps.”

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, which hit Netflix on Friday, October 18, tells the story of one of the most infamous serial killers of the ‘70s who appeared on The Dating Game show. Alcala was one of the contestants during a 1978 episode opposite bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw (played by Kendrick in the film), and while Rodney ultimately won Cheryl over using his charm, she later told casting directors she wouldn’t go through with the date after getting strange “vibes” from him.

It was later discovered that Rodney had been killing for nearly a decade before appearing on the game show. He was arrested in 1979, and although he received death sentences in 1980 and 1986, judges changed their mind twice. He finally received a final death sentence in 2010 after new evidence was uncovered. While he was ultimately charged with the death of seven women, prosecutors speculate his real victim list could be upwards of 130. He died of unspecified natural causes in 2021.

Because of Alcala’s “chameleon”-like behavior, Zovatto said doing an extensive amount of research was challenging. (Scenes of this particular The Dating Game episode exist online, but the episode in its entirety appears to have been lost to time.) Instead, Zovatto studied the found victim photographs that helped ultimately incriminate Alcala, who worked as a photographer for years before his arrest.

“He did have a camera with him all the time, so he would go around and he would photograph women and young women and young boys,” Zovatto explained. “There was a locker room that he left behind with all these images. And these images, a lot of them were released by the police because a lot of these [victims] are still to yet to be found. So that was the biggest piece of information for me because it just showed me in those 10 years of his killing spree what he was doing.”

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

“So he was able to just be a chameleon and charm people and manipulate them,” he continued. “And for me that was the golden key to it all. I was like, ‘Oh my God, now I know who this guy is.’ Because a lot of the information [that’s out there] is post The Dating Game when he was caught and as in the trials.”

While Woman of the Hour certainly details the life and grotesque killings of Alcala, the film has garnered buzz for Kendrick’s choice to turn the true crime story on its head by placing more focus on Alcala’s female victims. That decision, Zovatto said, was just part of why he was excited to be part of the project.

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

For Zovatto, it was Kendrick’s approach that “really intrigued him,” and his interest only spiked when he listened to how “passionate” she was about telling the story. “It made it an easy choice for me to follow through,” he said. “Rodney’s really interesting, and I just wanted to get under his skin and see how that went.”

The actor — known for his roles in horror-centric projects like Fear the Walking Dead, It Follows and more — had a leg up when stepping into character as he’s a huge true crime fan in real life.

“I’m a big Dateline guy,” he told Us. “Any true crime whatever, like, I’ll sit down and watch it. So when I heard about [this story], I was like, ‘Dude, I think I’ve heard about this before.’”

Even after taking the part, Zovatto remained shocked by how Alcala was able to “pull off” half of his crimes.

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

Portraying such a sinister role isn’t easy, and Zovatto confessed there were days on set he would get into a dark “headspace” about the role. That’s why he was thankful for Kendrick’s decision to craft the actual Dating Game scenes as dream-like fantasy sequences.

“There were days that Ronnie was the charming guy, so those days were a little easier, but I did have a lot of, like, time to myself,” he told Us. “During The Dating Game part of the show, which we shot like a play — it was around a 20-, 25-page scene that just went on for 30 minutes — we would do it over and over and over again. It felt like we were actually on the show, and so there was moments where we could breathe and I could talk to the [other] bachelors. That 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” while filming. “She was really respectful,” he said. “It felt like a really good set to be around.” He added that Kendrick, overall, did a “great job” behind the camera, which he credits to her decades of experience working in Hollywood.

‘What I cherish about our working relationship was this trust that she instilled in me to try things. To trust my instincts,” he gushed of the Pitch Perfect star. “And she was very positive and very much like somebody who was there supporting and helping and pushing and being there by my side while we were working. I really cherish that.”

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

“I mean, for example, in this story, a lot of the horrible [crimes] that Rodney commits with these victims, it’s not flashy, it’s not gory, it’s not visual,” he explained. “I feel like the way that it’s told by hearing things like the breathing and hearing the struggle and not seeing it, in my opinion, that is stronger because your imagination takes you elsewhere. You don’t need to see it. You already know what’s happening.”

While alluding to awful things off screen and still landing the same bone chilling effect can sometimes be “harder” to pull off, Kendrick knocked it out of the park every time.

“Her sensibilities come from a woman’s point of view and telling this horrible 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 kind of what separates it from any other [true crime] story that would focus on the [killer’s] trials, the lawyers and all that nonsense.”

If anyone knows what works in the horror or thriller space, it’s Zovatto, who has made a name for himself in both genres. But while becoming a bonafide Scream King is something he relishes as a major horror fan himself, the actor is definitely open to trying something a little lighter — like, a wholesome 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 his dream costar would be, Zovatto didn’t hesitate: “Jennifer Aniston. I’m gonna go with my crush from when I [was younger]. It’s never gonna happen, but Jennifer Aniston.”

Woman of the Hour is now streaming on Netflix.