Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice, signifies a collaboration between her and Channing Tatum, who is now her fiancée. A few years ago, rumors circulated about Kravitz and Tatum dating and, now, they two have gone public with their romance. Aside from that, they’ve also been sharing insight into their upcoming psychological thriller. Now, Tatum admits that when Kravitz sent over the script for the moie (which originally bore the wild title Pussy Island), he had no idea she’d be directing him.
The celebrity couple looked like quite stunning amid their red carpet debut at the Blink Twice premiere in LA. In some ways, it’s kind of funny to think that such a wild movie is what brought the now-engaged pair together. Tatum recently spoke to THR and recalled that he’d never met his eventual fiancée before they collaborated on the movie. And, based on his story, it does indeed seem that he had no idea that the Batman star was going to be at the helm:
It was pretty crazy, I didn’t really know Zoë before she sent me the script. I never had met her before — I got a text from Riley Keough, she’s like, ‘Hey, my friend Zoë wants to send you a script.’ I was like, ‘Great, I love Zoë as an actress, I’d love to act with her.’ I didn’t know she wanted to make this thing.
It’s honestly not hard to understand why the Magic Mike star was surprised. Given that Zoë Kravitz had never directed a feature film up to that point, he had no reason to assume that she’d be in the director’s chair for this particular production. Despite the leading man’s feelings of shock, though, the more recent comments he’s shared definitely suggest that he’s happy that his partner ultimately was at the helm.
Based on Blink Twice’s chilling trailer, prospective viewers are in for quite a ride. It sees Channing Tatum play a tech mogul, who takes a fancy to a cocktail waitress. He then invites her to a luxurious party on a remote island, where the proceedings become unsettling after one of the guests goes missing. The plot sounds wild, but the original Pussy Island title is also very out there. Later in his interview, Tatum referenced that moniker, when reflecting on his decision to get involved:
I was like, ‘OK, Zoë Kravitz is sending me something called Pussy Island, I think I should probably read this.’ And that was like six years ago, and it’s been just such a journey. The script from the first time I read it has changed so much, from the first time we even shot it and edited it has changed so much — she’s truly going on a beautiful first-time director’s journey.
How incredibly beautiful it is to hear Channing Tatum speak highly of his future wife’s talents like this. A while ago, he gushed about the Big Little Lies actress “absolutely crushing it” when sharing a video of her working behind the camera. Tatum spoke sweetly about working with Zoë Kravitz, expressing his opinion that she did a better job as a first-time director than he did with his directorial debut, Dog.
Art is “the deepest expression of love,” as Zoë Kravitz describes it, and it seems that this rationale has permeated her relationship with her man. Channing Tatum said that he didn’t make any creative decisions on Blink Twice without considering his director’s opinion, showing how much respect and admiration he has for her. Love can certainly blossom in the most unusual of places, and that certainly seems to have been true for Kravitz and Tatum. I’d say that, in hindsight, it’s a good thing Tatum did opt to join the movie — despite not immediately knowing who would direct.
You’ll be able to check out Pussy Isla— I mean, Blink Twice when it hits theaters on August 23. Also, be sure to read up on other entries that make up the 2024 movie release schedule.