Zoë Kravitz grew up surrounded by powerful people. That’s why she wanted to make a movie about them.
She co-wrote Blink Twice, her directorial debut, about a young woman (Naomi Ackie) who is invited to a private island with a tech billionaire (Channing Tatum). Her sun-filled days and psychedelic-tinged nights among the rich and influential slowly turn into a nightmare.
As the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, Kravitz was exposed to the world of the Hollywood elite at a young age. She told Yahoo Entertainment that she credits her childhood for helping her see how people abuse power “in a very clear way, almost like a fly on the wall.”
“It was almost like I had this secret — I’ve been watching this dynamic for so many years, and I wanted to play with that,” she said.
Ackie also drew inspiration from her own life in her starring role as Frida, a waitress who’s eager to mingle with the powerful.
“Where Frida started is very close to my own experience — wanting to be an actor, working side jobs with no access to this world … having this high desire and high ambition and feeling so frustrated that it felt like it would take a miracle for it to happen,” she said. “Now, I could want nothing less, [but] at the time, wanting more influence and power was obstructing me from my creative energy.”
After several days of paradise, Frida realizes that something is off. As she begins to question her surroundings, things get drastically worse. Kravitz said she wanted the movie to be extreme because so many of her favorite movies have been “centered around men — made by men and made for men.”
“It was exciting to me to make a film that had just as much gut-punch energy, but it’s made … specifically for women, made by women,” she added.
As the movie progresses, Tatum’s charming character is slowly revealed to be evil. Casting the Magic Mike star, known for playing dancers with hearts of gold as well as lovable goofballs, against type was a strategic part of Kravitz’s plan to make the audience understand why Ackie’s character would go to a private island with a stranger.
“I knew he had to feel safe … and charismatic,” Kravitz explained. “Also, I think he is such a wonderful actor. It’s so fun to see him do something that he’s never done before.”
Tatum told Yahoo Entertainment that he wasn’t seeking out a role that subverted what his audience might expect from him — he was just excited about the project.
“I wish there was a grand reason why I chose this, but … [Zoë] brought it to me and said ‘I think you can do this and should do this.’” he said. “I was like, ‘Man, this is scary!’ But I was looking at that time to shake things up and scare myself.”
Tatum admitted he didn’t plan on taking this role.
“I think maybe my representation … they wish I would plan things out a little more. I just do whatever feels right to me at the moment,” he said.
When Kravitz sent Tatum the script for the movie nearly six years ago, they didn’t know each other well. Now they’re engaged.
“She’s just an obsessive person, in the best possible way. … That I think I was more in awe of than anything,” Tatum told the Hollywood Reporter.
The appreciation is mutual. During Kravitz’s speech at an Aug. 8 screening of Blink Twice, Kravitz took a moment to thank Tatum for his support during the filmmaking process.
“It’s really very cool to get to make a movie, but when you get to do it with the love of your life, it’s even cooler,” she said.
Blink Twice is in theaters Aug. 23.
