Hitchcock's obsession with Tippi Hedren

Testimonies from the set reveal how the relationship between the director and the actress became increasingly intense and controlled.

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Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Alfred Hitchcock is today considered one of the most influential directors in the history of film, but his name is also associated with serious problematic situations that, in a modern context, would provoke harsh public reactions.

Among those who worked with Hitchcock was Tippi Hedren, star of “The Birds” and “Marnie,” who later spoke openly about her unpleasant experience on set and her relationship with the director. She said the situation was so difficult that at one point she considered leaving the project.

Their mutual collaborator Rod Taylor described Hitchcock's behavior as increasingly controlling and possessive, especially towards Hedren, who was at the beginning of her career and had no experience in the industry.

"It was very difficult for her, because it was her first film and she had nothing to compare her work to with other directors. She was like a precious piece of jewelry that he considered his own, and gradually no one was allowed to physically approach her during filming," Taylor recalled, adding that the director became increasingly possessive of the actress.

"He wouldn't let me or anyone else ride with her in the studio cars, even though we had done so in the past for convenience. He would say, 'No, I can't ride with her,' as if that would diminish her 'status.' He would fence her off and isolate her from everyone so that she would spend all her time with him," Taylor said.

Similar claims were made by Hedren herself, who spoke of a constant sense of surveillance and violated privacy during that period.

"He stalked me. At first he wanted to know who I hung out with in my private time, where I went and what I did. He thought no one was good enough for me and he didn't approve of anyone in my life. Later I realized that I was sometimes followed to events, restaurants and social gatherings, and information about me was being fed back to him through his people," Hedren said.

After roles in the films “The Birds” and “Marnie,” Hedren didn't have many big roles.

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