The Girl is a 2012 British television film directed by Julian Jarrold, written by Gwyneth Hughes and produced by the BBC and HBO Films. The Girl stars Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren and Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock, and is based on Donald Spoto's 2009 book Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies which discusses British-born film director Hitchcock and the women who played leading roles in his films. The film's title was inspired by Hitchcock's alleged nickname for Hedren.
The film depicts Hitchcock's alleged obsession with Hedren, the American model and actress whom he took from relative obscurity to star in his 1963 film The Birds. Hitchcock becomes infatuated with his leading actress, but she rebuffs his advances and Hitchcock subjects her to a series of traumatic experiences during the filming of The Birds. Hitchcock's obsession with Hedren continues when she stars in his next production, Marnie. Hedren grows increasingly anguished by his attention and eventually decides she needs to find a way out of the situation. However, she cannot work elsewhere because of her exclusive contract with Hitchcock, effectively ending her Hollywood career.