Zoë Kravitz is ready to make a splash with her directorial debut, even if audiences might not be.
While discussing her upcoming thriller Blink Twice, which premieres August 23, Kravitz reflected on the movie’s original title, Pussy Island, and why they ultimately had to come up with a new one.
“It was made very clear to me that ‘p—y’ is a word that we, our society, are not ready to embrace yet,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “There were a lot of roadblocks along the way, whether it be the MPAA not wanting to put it on a poster, or a billboard, or a kiosk; movie theaters not wanting to put it on a ticket.”
Kravitz explained that her intention was to “reclaim the word, and not make it something that we’re so uncomfortable using,” but she ultimately found that “women were offended by the word, and women seeing the title were saying, ‘I don’t want to see that movie.’”
“But we’re not there yet,” she continued. “And I think that’s something I have the responsibility as a filmmaker to listen to. I care about people seeing the film, and I care about how it makes people feel.”
Channing Tatum in Blink Twice.
Amazon/MGM
When Kravitz’s announced her directorial debut in 2021, she told Deadline that “the title means a lot of things,” adding: “I started writing this story in 2017. As a woman in general, and a woman in this industry, I’ve experienced some pretty wild behavior from the opposite sex.
“The title was kind of a joke at first, this place where people would go, bring women, party and hang out. The story evolved into something else, but the title wound up having multiple meanings. And it alludes to this time and place we claim to not be in anymore, in terms of sexual politics,” Kravitz explained. “People are evolving and changing but there is still a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths from past behavior. It’s a nod to that, but it’s also playful, and a really playful film in a lot of ways. I like that the title leads with that and has some heavy meaning beneath it.”
Although Kravitz told EW that the original title remains “the seed of the film, and the spirit of what that means to me is still alive and very much present in the film,” she clarified, “I love the new title. I’m happy with the new title. I think everything happens for a reason, and I think it actually really focuses the movie in a great way. And I think that was always the way it was meant to be.”
Blink Twice stars Naomie Ackie as Frida, a young, clever, Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum). When she skillfully maneuvers her way into King’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his private island, she is ready for a journey of a lifetime. Despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne and late-night dance parties, Frida can sense that there’s more to this island than meets the eye. Something she can’t quite put her finger on. Something terrifying.
Co-written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum, Blink Twice also stars Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, Alia Shawkat and Levon Hawke.
