Movies - TV
Tippi Hedren Wasn't The Only One Upset By Alfred Hitchcock's Behavior During The Birds
By DREW TINNIN
“The Birds” remains one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most popular films for its manic action scenes and terrifying portrayal of bloodthirsty birds. Along with mechanical birds, Hitchcock famously used real birds that attacked the actors, causing lead actress Tippi Hedren to call out Hitchcock for his mistreatment and the trauma the whole crew suffered.
One particularly harrowing experience for Hedren was shooting the bedroom scene, which ultimately amounted to five consecutive days of filming with live birds. In her memoir, Hedren recalls, “I was too focused on my own survival to notice but I was told later that it was even more horrifying and heartbreaking for the crew to watch…”
Hedron was vocal about her trust in the film’s animal trainer but the experience was still traumatic because “Not even the greatest trainer in the world could control every move an animal makes, especially when it’s under stress.” At the end of the day, according to Hedron, “…there wasn’t a thing anyone but Hitchcock could do to put a stop to it.”