Zoë Kravitz’s Directorial Debut ‘Blink Twice’: A Bold Psychological Thriller Featuring Boyfriend, Channing Tatum

Zoë Kravitz and the cast of "Blink Twice" discuss her directorial debut in the new psychological thriller.

In her directorial debut, Blink Twice, Zoë Kravitz takes audiences on a suspenseful journey filled with twists, turns, and the unexpected. As the film hits theaters, the cast shared their thoughts with BLACK ENTERPRISE on the experience, revealing how Kravitz’s unique approach shaped the psychological thriller and its subtle themes of women supporting women.

The film stars her boyfriend, Channing Tatum, who plays tech billionaire Slater King. King meets a cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) and invites her on a dream vacation to his private island where things go completely left. Frida will have to uncover the truth about Slater and his island resort if she wants to make it out alive.

Tatum gushed about Kravitz’s directing debut and how the experience made him more enthralled with her.

“She kills it, man. I’m still truly, I mean, not just because like, you know, I have to, like, I mean, I’m in awe of her every day,” Tatum told BE.

Kravitz returned the praise and shared how natural it was to work with her beau on the project.

“I dug it, you know, I mean I really did,” she said of directing Tatum. “I think that art is our love language and we love talking about film and storytelling and it felt really safe and he supported the shit out of me was like so amazing.”

Ackie commended Kravitz for being “wicked” on set and highlighted the relatable story portrayed on screen.

The film captures Frida’s intense admiration for Slater and her yearning to be near him simply because of his celebrity status — a reflection of today’s social media-driven world, where the vulnerable can easily be manipulated by the powerful elite.

“She wants to get close, as close as she can to say a king, but more wider than that, as close as she can to power, and that desire leaves you open to be manipulated in return,” Ackie explained.

Alia Shawkat plays the role of Frida’s best friend, Jess, who gets invited by Slater to his private island where she disappears. Shawkat explained how the film’s opening theme subtly represented the “gaslighting” celebrities can do on social media.

“I think that opening scene of her is so good. You’re seeing her eyes taking in. You know, we have this idea of what the world looks like when you have a lot of money and you think it’s happiness and the reality is good,” Shawkat explained.

“You see that on Instagram and you look at everybody’s life and the pictures of the post. And you feel like crap about yours. And again, it’s gaslighting. Comparison is the thief of joy. What are we all doing anyway?”

It’s a suspenseful movie packed with unexpected developments, intricate plot twists, and plenty of gore. Not exactly what audiences would expect from Kravitz’s first film as director. But it’s an experience that gave the Mad Max: Fury Road star a new way of looking at the concept of art.

“I feel like the biggest lesson I learned is that art is its own living entity,” she told BE. “And if you try and tell it what it’s supposed to be that’s when it doesn’t go well. But when you let it show you what it wants to be, it’s a pretty amazing experience.”

Press play below for the full interviews with Kravitz, Tatum, Ackie, Shawkat, Christian Slater, and Simon Rex, and be sure to check out Blink Twice, which hit theaters on Aug. 23.

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