‘The Birds’ Actress Says Hitchcock ‘Punished’ Her For Refusing Sex

10:45 am, August 3rd | by Laura Donovan

Sexual harassment at work may be punishable by law now, but it wasn’t quite as frowned upon in the 1960s, when director Alfred Hitchcock came out with terror flick, “The Birds” and reportedly made star Tippi Hedren’s life a living hell for refusing to have a sexual relationship with him.

At the Television Critics Association press tour, 82-year-old Hedren talked about the painful reality of serving under a sexually manipulative boss and how women today should know they’re not obligated to abide by the requests of a manager like Hitchcock.

“People have said, ‘Was he in love with you?’ No, he wasn’t. When you love someone, you treat them well,” Hedren said of the movie man, who allegedly told her that he would ruin her career if she did not have a sexual relationship with him. “I think he was an extremely sad character. We are dealing with a brain here that was an unusual genius, and evil, and deviant, almost to the point of dangerous, because of the effect that he could have on people that were totally unsuspecting.”

Hedren, whose awful story influenced upcoming film, “The Girl,” said it was tough to watch the film adaptation of what she endured:

“Actually viewing the film, I have to say that when I first heard [actor Toby Jones's] voice as Alfred Hitchcock, my body just froze. I had not talked about this issue with Alfred Hitchcock to anyone. Because all those years ago, it was still the studio kind of situation. Studios were the power. And I was at the end of that, and there was absolutely nothing I could do legally whatsoever. There were no laws about this kind of a situation. If this had happened today, I would be a very rich women.”

But the happy ending for women of today is that they don’t have to cave into the creepy demands of pervy bosses, said Hedren:

“I hope that young women who do see this film know that they do not have to acquiesce to anything that they do not feel is morally right or that they are dissatisfied with or simply wanting to get out of that situation, that you can have a strength, and you deserve it. I can look at myself in the mirror, and I can be proud. I feel strong. And I lived through it beautifully. He ruined my career, but he didn’t ruin my life.”

Sienna Miller, who portrays Hedren in “The Girl,” agrees:

“I think it’s a very different world for women in film today than it was for women then.”

Phew!

[ThinkProgress, TheWrap]

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Adam R. Charpentier

Is there proof?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1204160833 Madison Brown

A lot of times you can’t prove sexual harrassment.
Adam R. Charpentier

Which doesn’t mean it did or didn’t happen.
Neil Tarvin

That’s rather chauvinistic of you. Do you also side with the rapist who says “she asked for it…”?????
http://twitter.com/LauraDonovanUA Laura Donovan

Well plenty other women have come forward and said he was inappropriate with them onset. Also, why would she make that up?
http://twitter.com/LauraDonovanUA Laura Donovan

Word
Adam R. Charpentier

Are you nearly illiterate, trying to decipher all the big words I used, something along those lines? Otherwise, I quite clearly asked if there was proof…and then stated that a lack of proof isn’t verification of anything. I was only curious.

You offended ME, buddy.
Adam R. Charpentier

I’m aware of the Total Bastard image that Hitchcock has going for him and that there are many, many accounts of him verbally harassing male and (mostly) female actors and I find it unlikely that such a vast number of eyewitnesses would be lying.

This is the first time that I’ve heard that he made unwarranted sexual advances toward Tippi Hedren, though, so I was only wondering if there were other accounts than this one…

I’m not accusing her of doing so and I’d rather than not make any guesses at whether she could or why.
Anonymous

Huh?

Hitchcock has been dead for three decades and I’ve heard all sorts of weird things about him and his leading ladies (he wasn’t above torturing them to get the performance he wanted), but I’ve never heard of him trying to get sex from them and all I’ve ever heard is that he was totally devoted to his wife.
Adam R. Charpentier

I’ve heard this as well (the devotion, the psychological distress he liked putting people through), that’s why I’m curious about these allegations made so long after the others…
Adam R. Charpentier

But Hollywood is NOT above sensationalism and outright lying, especially in biopics, to better market the material. I’m curious if there is proof since these are the most serious accusations I’ve ever seen leveled at Hitchcock and believing everything you read or what informed individuals tell you without a mild curiosity or skepticism or sheep-like and sad.
Serious allegations should ALWAYS be questioned before they’re accepted…or else we should go back to stringing up, burning, or drowning recluses whenever there’s a drought.
http://twitter.com/Sarah_Nicolas Sarah Nicolas

Am I the only one trying to figure out who Miller is when they say “Miller agrees:”?
Adam R. Charpentier

Haha, nope, I’ll join you.
http://twitter.com/LauraDonovanUA Laura Donovan

ha SORRY. Sienna Miller, who portrays Hedren onscreen. Fixed :)
Adam R. Charpentier

No kidding? Okay, there goes any curiosity I have over whether the allegations can be proven…I’ll probably Wikipedia the info. a bit later, after seeing the movie –I loved Sienna Miller in Factory Girl.
Anonymous

Hitchcock was a messed up individual. I respect his work big time, but it’s pretty well documented that he did stuff like this all the time.

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