Tippi Hedren: Recounting Alleged s–ual Assault by Alfred Hitchcock

Tippi Hedren has come forward with detailed allegations of s–ual assault by the renowned director Alfred Hitchcock during their collaboration on the films The Birds and Marnie.

Hedren, known for her previous mentions of Hitchcock's mistreatment towards her that were depicted in the 2012 HBO film The Girl, sheds new light on the incidents in her latest memoir, Tippi: A Memoir.

As per reports from the Daily Mail, Hitchcock's inappropriate actions commenced when he cast Hedren in The Birds, her debut movie following Psycho, a film directed by Hitchcock himself.

Hedren claims that Hitchcock instructed the other cast members to avoid socializing with her or making any physical contact, showing signs of jealousy if he caught her interacting with other male colleagues.

In one distressing incident, she recalls Hitchcock lunging at her and attempting to kiss her while they were traveling together in his limousine.

The following day on set, during the filming of a pivotal scene where her character faces an avian attack in a phone booth, a mechanical crow shattered the supposedly unbreakable glass, causing shards to strike her face.

Additionally, in another scene where birds were supposed to attack her character in a bedroom, she was informed that using live birds was necessary as the mechanical ones failed.

For five consecutive days, Hedren endured the ordeal of filming with live birds hurled at her and affixed to her body with elastic bands.

The breaking point arrived when a bird, attached to her shoulder, nearly pecked her eye, leaving her emotionally drained and bedridden for the ensuing week.

Hedren speculates that Hitchcock's motive behind subjecting her to such harrowing experiences was to penalize her for rejecting his advances of a s–ual nature.

The subsequent project under her contract, Marnie, centered on a character grappling with kleptomania and mental health issues, featured a disturbing scene where Hedren's character is assaulted by her spouse.

She presumes this portrayal was Hitchcock's personal fantasy involving her as the unattainable, beautiful victim.

Hedren reveals that Hitchcock's troubling conduct persisted, including his creation of a mask resembling her face for personal use, positioning her dressing room adjacent to his office with a connecting door for easy access.

In her latest autobiography, Hedren discloses instances where Hitchcock would manifest his fixation on her, demanding a reciprocation that she refused.

His actions escalated to a point where he forcefully imposed himself on her in his office, leading her to describe the encounter as perverse and repulsive.

Despite her resistance, Hitchcock resorted to threats of sabotaging her career, impeding her chances of pursuing opportunities with other directors and tarnishing her reputation within the industry.

The power dynamics within the studios coupled with legal limitations left Hedren in a vulnerable position, preventing her from seeking justice.

Reflecting on the past events, Hedren expressed how the industry dynamics and lack of legal protection left her powerless, emphasizing the need for stronger safeguards to prevent such abuses in the present day, suggesting that had these incidents occurred today, she might have pursued legal recourse and received due compensation for the trauma endured.