Why Sheryl Leaves Hollywood At The End Of Woman Of The Hour

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Woman of the Hour.

Anna Kendrick’s Sheryl leaving Hollywood at the end of Netflix’s film Woman of the Hour reveals the true heart of her character. Kendrick made her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour, which chronicles the real-life appearance of serial killer Rodney Alcala on the popular game show The Dating Game. Kendrick also leads the cast of Woman of the Hour alongside Daniel Zovatto as Alcala and Tony Hale as the game show’s host, Ed Burke. While Woman of the Hour changes several true story aspects of Rodney Alcala’s experience on The Dating Show, his appearance left an indelible scar on the show’s legacy.

By the end of Woman of the Hour, Kendrick’s Sheryl Bradshaw escapes Alcala’s grasp unscathed and leaves Los Angeles for good. In reality, she and Alcala appeared on The Dating Game on September 13, 1978, just two years before Alcala was sentenced to death in California for the murder of a twelve-year-old girl. Alcala received two death sentences that were both ultimately overruled. He died in prison in 2021. While the total number remains undetermined, Alcala could have had as many as 130 victims. As depicted in Woman of the Hour, Alcala made an advance on Sheryl after the show’s taping but was unsuccessful.

After Going On The Dating Game, Anna Kendrick’s Sheryl Decides She’s Had Enough Of Hollywood

She leaves Los Angeles and the entertainment industry behind for good

At the beginning of Woman of the Hour, Sheryl is a struggling actress who essentially takes the spot on The Dating Game for a paycheck to cover her rent in Los Angeles. Throughout her experience on the show, not only dealing with the entirety of Rodney’s unmasking but also the inherent misogyny from the show’s host, Ed Burke, Sheryl decides that the life she’s chasing after is no longer worth the hardship. Contributing to her decision is also the relentless and desperate romantic attempts by her fellow actor and neighbor, Terry (played by Pete Holmes).

In addition to her overall terrifying experience with Rodney, Sheryl is tired of being objectified in Hollywood while her career goes nowhere. During the scene in which Sheryl is getting her makeup done for the show, Ed Burke arrives with instructions to change her attire since she “has the body for it“. Sheryl is exhausted from having to jump through the hoops of the entertainment industry all for a long-shot ambition of becoming a professional actress. She also appears to be fed up with the various ways in which the entertainment industry of the era (late 1970s) forces her to mold into an idealized and marketable version of feminity.

Sheryl’s Departure Contrasts With Anna Kendrick’s Real-Life Experience

Kendrick did incorporate one of her real-life experiences in the film

The end credits of Woman of the Hour reveal that the real Sheryl, named Cheryl Bradshaw, did actually leave Hollywood to live a quiet life and raise a family. This is quite different from the life trajectory of star actress and director, Anna Kendrick, who grew up in Portland, Maine, and currently resides in Los Angeles. Kendrick got her big break by acting in the 2008 film Twilight, which catapulted her career to new heights. Since then, she has appeared in dozens of films and television shows, including Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), Pitch Perfect (2012), and The Accountant (2016).

While Kendrick has cited some of her own experiences for Sheryl’s audition scene in the movie, she eventually made it big in the industry, unlike the real-life Cheryl Bradshaw. Kendrick recalled an odd encounter she had during one of her own auditions that she felt would align with the narrative and tone of Woman of the Hour. Kendrick revealed that certain casting directors had asked her if she was willing to do nudity and made “a very specific and weird remark” about her body which actually happened to her when she was 19. Kendrick called the memory “absolutely crazy” and made a point to include it in Woman of the Hour (via People).

Did The Real Cheryl Bradshaw Leave Hollywood After The Dating Game?

She left California and had no other television credits

The real Cheryl left Los Angeles soon after filming the episode of The Dating Game. She was fortunately not interested in pursuing any sort of romantic engagement with Alcala and mostly made it out of Hollywood unscathed. Cheryl also was not an aspiring actress, as portrayed in Woman of the Hour. She was introduced as a teacher in the actual 1978 episode of The Dating Game and has no film or television credits apart from The Dating Game and several docuseries focusing on Rodney Alcala. Since Cherly Bradshaw went on to live a private life, there is not much accessible information about her. Kendrick revealed that Bradshaw has since died but wished she could have talked to her when developing Woman of the Hour.