Sienna Miller To Star In BBC Movie About Hitchcock's Obsession

Sienna Miller is set to star as '60s starlet Tippi Hedren in a new BBC film about Alfred Hitchcock's obsession with the actress called, "The Girl."

The 90-minute television film will air on BBC 2 in the UK next year. Miller will play Hedren with Toby Jones playing Hitchcock and a supporting cast that includes Imelda Staunton and Penelope Wilton.

Hedren starred in Hitchcock's signature film, "The Birds" after the famed director spotted her in a soft-drink commercial in 1961. Finding that Hedren could fulfill the "ice blonde" void left in the grisly auteur's heart by Kim Novak and Grace Kelly, Hitchcock signed Hedren to a seven-year contract and featured her prominently in his films, including 1964's "Marnie."

"The Girl" will focus on their tumultuous relationship and Hitchcock's obsession with the young actress. Hitchcock controlled Hedren's public image with alarming detail. He controlled what she ate and forbade her from riding in cars with male co-stars. He also specified that they were only to talk in private and hired costume designer Edith Head to clothe the star.

Hedren broke free from the contract after Hitchcock allegedly threatened to blacklist the actress if she did not sleep with him during the filming of "Marnie."

Hedren would not appear in any major Hollywood roles until Charles Chaplin’s 1967 film, “A Countess From Hong Kong.” Hitchcock went on to make four films that were lacking in emotional intensity, perhaps because his leading lady had run away. View a video of Tippi Hedren talking about "The Birds" below.

Comments

[Highball]

06:33 PM on 02/12/2012

Sienna's an excellent choice. I can totally see her as Tippi.

Hedren was the sort of beauty that only comes around every once in a long while. I can't wait to see this.

[HazelRah1980]

02:02 PM on 12/09/2011

I'm going to go out on a limb and say his obsession with women had to do with being a somewhat unnatractive, strange, straight man.

[Ura Rested]

11:41 PM on 12/08/2011

Tippi was not a "young actress". She was 33 when she did The Birds and 34 when she did Marnie. At the time, the studio felt that this was too old for a "new star", so her age was printed as five years younger than she actually was. In 2004, Tippi revealed her real age.

[gemini68]

04:19 PM on 12/08/2011

This sounds really great. Too bad it will star Sienna Miller.

[DMT8665]

01:07 PM on 12/09/2011

Whaa? She is, like, Amazingly Hawt?
I look forward to the remake of this classic film...

[gemini68]

03:23 PM on 12/09/2011

She's also a supbar actress. I will still watch the film because I like the subject matter.

[Jason-n-Ohio]

02:31 AM on 03/14/2012

To my understanding, it is not a remake but a documentary "movie" based of the making of the original film.

[triplettam]

02:02 PM on 12/08/2011

Loved Tippi. Guess Hitch did too. She owns an preserve now. I think. I'm watching "North By Northwest" as I write this. Eva Marie Saint was pretty icy (and hot) also.

[Aitch5]

06:43 PM on 12/07/2011

January Jones would be perfect for this part.
Hitch never really liked Novak.

[gemini68]

04:20 PM on 12/08/2011

January Jones can't act. Sienna Miller isn't a great actress but she's leaps and bounds better than January. I wish they had gotten an unknown for the role actually. Someone who doesn't have such a strong public image like Sienna does in the UK.

[Aitch5]

04:32 PM on 12/08/2011

She was so good in Factory Girl.

[hannahsmine]

05:46 PM on 12/07/2011

typical male..

[Prankster]

11:43 AM on 12/08/2011

That's pretty sexist!