Anna Kendrick shared a series of helpful safety tips for women to use when their gut is telling them they’re in danger.
The actress recently starred in Woman of the Hour, which tells the real-life story of Sheryl Bradshaw and American serial killer Rodney Alcala (played by Daniel Zovatto), who is believed to have murdered as many as 130 victims across the country.
Anna took to her Instagram page on October 30 to recommend that women watch a video by content creator Rachel Lovely titled “Things I have done to keep myself safe.”
Anna Kendrick shared a series of safety tips for women on how to protect themselves in various everyday situations
Image credits: Jon Kopaloff / Getty
“In the video, Rachel really takes the time to say, ‘None of this is to say that if you had just known this when something bad happened, everything would have been fine, and it’s not meant to shame,’ and that really warmed my heart,” Anna shared.
“I’ve been really banging a drum on this press tour that there really isn’t a guaranteed protection from someone who is determined to harm you, and yet, I do believe there are things we should be sharing so that they might be in the back of our minds if that moment comes.”
The first situation Rachel described involved an encounter with a stranger in an elevator when something feels off.
Rachel recalled a time when she entered an elevator at a hotel that required a key to access the buttons, and a man got in after her. “He didn’t look at the buttons or anything. Right away, I was thinking, ‘There’s 40 floors to this hotel. There’s a zero percent chance that he’s on my floor without even recognizing it.’
She continued: “So because of the type of elevator I was on, as soon as the elevator started moving up, the first thing that I did was pull my purse like this and start digging; I’m looking through it. Then, when the elevator doors go ‘ding,’ I hold my arm like this on the doors, I look at him, and I say, ‘You go ahead, I forgot my book in the lobby.'”
The actress recommended watching a video by content creator Rachel Lovely, in which she discusses how she handled various situations when she sensed something was off
Rachel said she leans against a wall and never lets a suspicious man stand directly behind her. Additionally, she finds that maintaining eye contact makes her feel more in control.
“Also, in those types of situations, I’m not getting off the elevator because, in that specific example, I knew there was a camera, so I was like, ‘I’m not leaving.’ So when I told him, ‘You, go ahead,’ he awkwardly got off.”
If the same situation occurs, but the elevator doesn’t require a key to be activated, the content creator recommends blocking the numbers with your body and asking him at what floor he’ll get off.
“Let’s say he sees the floor and says, ‘I’m also going to 18.’ This has happened before.
“At that moment, I say, ’18?’ and I turn around and look and see that ’18’ is highlighted because that’s where I needed to go. I’ll be like, ‘Oh, perfect!’, and I’ll hit it again, so he sees it — and then I’ll say, ‘I’m actually going to 22.’
“Same thing: when the elevator door dings, I put my arm out, I will look at him, and I will go, ‘This is your floor; have a good one.'”
Listen to Rachel’s safety tips below
@rachellovely5Please stay safe !!!! Love the safety of my girls♬ original sound – Rachel Lovely
Rachel then discussed uncomfortable situations where someone insists that you give them your number. In these cases, she recommends changing just one digit of your number, so if they try to call you on the spot to verify, it can seem like a genuine mistake.
“I’ve been in situations, and this has happened more than I would like to say, where the person I’m talking to kind of understands that I don’t want him to have my number. So, in a show of dominance, like, ‘I’m gonna call you out on your bullsh*t,’ he will say in a very creepy, unsettling way, ‘I’m gonna call you right now.’
“So, of course, my phone doesn’t ring, and I say super curiously and sweetly (because all of this is survival tactics) — like whatever you have to do to get yourself out of a situation (…)—’What number did you put in?’ He shows it, and I’ll go, ‘Oh, that two needs to be a three.'”
After that, you can just block their number when they’re out of sight.
Rachel described how she handled situations with suspicious men in an elevator, at a bar, and when one of them pressured her to give him her number
The following situation Rachel explained was being at a bar with someone who is pushy about walking you home, trying to get you to go home with them, or insisting on accompanying you to your car.
“Let’s say I’m at a bar with someone, and my gut instincts are screaming. I do not want to get an Uber with this man, I don’t want to go back to this man’s home, I don’t want him to walk me to my car, I don’t want to go anywhere with this person — and your body will tell you.
“Women are conditioned to be polite and accommodating, but your gut instincts are going to be screaming red alert when you don’t feel comfortable with this person. Your only job is to listen to that.”
Any excuse will do in these situations. “I’ll be like, ‘Actually, my car was giving me trouble earlier, so my sister is going to drive here and give me a ride home.’ Or I’ll be like, ‘Actually, my co-worker forgot her notebook at work — she lives right here — so I’m just gonna go, and she’s gonna meet me here and just grab it.’
“And you just start saying goodbye. You don’t get up, you don’t leave, you don’t go toward the door. You are sitting on that bar stool, and you’re glued to that bar stool.”
“If they show resistance, you can raise your voice as a defense mechanism, saying things like ‘No, I’m totally fine. Thank you so much for an awesome night. Get home safe’ so that the people in the tables next to you can hear you.
“And the whole time, I’m like, ‘Thank you so much, you have to go now. I’m staying, and you’re leaving.’ And I keep reiterating that message.”
Rachel’s video was inspired by Anna’s latest film, which marks her directorial debut. As shown in the crime thriller, her character, and the serial killer appeared together as contestants on the show The Dating Game in 1978. At the time of the show, Alcala had murdered at least five women.
Anna recently donated the proceeds from her latest film, Woman of the Hour, to RAINN and the National Center for Victims of Violent Crime, two nonprofit anti-sexual assault organizations
“I know that this isn’t necessarily in my professional wheel house, but this unfortunately feels like familiar territory to me,” said the 39-year-old actress, who was previously involved in a long-term abusive relationship.
“I got out of a really bad relationship, and I think there was something in this [movie] that has that same kind of dread; that same kind of terror of going like, ‘I really thought I could trust this person,'” she said last month on the Drew Barrymore Show.
When Netflix bought Woman of the Hour, Anna decided to donate all of her profit to two of the largest American nonprofit anti-sexual assault organizations: RAINN and the National Center for Victims of Violent Crime.
“Eventually, Netflix bought the movie. But it wasn’t until, like, the week before TIFF [Toronto International Film Festival] that I thought ‘Oh, the movie’s gonna make money.’ I asked myself the question of ‘Do you feel gross about this?’ And I did.”
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can find international sexual assault hotlines at the No More Global Directory.
People thanked Rachel and Anna for sharing the safety tips
