Zoe Kravitz says she initially wanted to title her upcoming motion picture P***y Island, but changed it to Blink Twice to maximize the film’s potential reach and viewership.
The 35-year-old actress on Tuesday spoke with Entertainment Weekly about her movie, which marks her first foray as a director.
‘It was made very clear to me that “p***y” is a word that we, our society, are not ready to embrace yet,’ the Los Angeles native told the outlet about the verbiage in the film’s title.
Zoe, the daughter of rocker Lenny Kravitz, 60, and actress Lisa Bonet, 56, said that after years of honing the film’s script and storyline, she didn’t want to jeopardize the film’s commercial potential with a title that could be considered too provocative for mainstream audiences.
‘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,’ Zoe told the publication.
Zoe Kravitz, 35, wanted to title her upcoming motion picture P***y Island, but changed it to Blink Twice to maximize its potential reach and viewership. Pictured in LA in March of 2023
The mystery thriller, which marks Zoe’s first foray as a director, stars Naomi Ackie and Kravitz’s fiancé Channing Tatum
The Batman actress said that while the mystery thriller is geared toward women’s empowerment – and the title itself was to change the perception of the word – research she did indicated it could put off female moviegoers.
‘Interestingly enough, after researching it, women were offended by the word, and women seeing the title were saying, “I don’t want to see that movie,” which is part of the reason I wanted to try and use the word,’ Kravitz said.
The Big Little Lies alum said the initial title was in an effort ‘to reclaim the word, and not make it something that we’re so uncomfortable using.’
Kravitz said she feels ‘we’re not there yet’ as a society, and in turn, decided to rename the motion picture Blink Twice.
‘I think that’s something I have the responsibility as a filmmaker to listen to,’ Kravitz said. ‘I care about people seeing the film, and I care about how it makes people feel.’
Kravitz said that she and co-writer E.T. Feigenbaum initially began penning the script for the film seven years ago, and the original title was the first thing she put to paper.
‘I do believe that P***y Island was the first thing I wrote down when I wrote this movie,’ Kravitz said, ‘and it’s the seed of the film, and the spirit of what that means to me is still alive and very much present in the film.’
Kravitz said that she loves the updated title, is ‘happy with’ it, and believes ‘it actually really focuses the movie in a great way.
Tatum plays the role of billionaire businessman Slater King in the motion picture directed by his fiancée
Ackie and Alia Shawkat play the respective roles of Frida and Jess in the summer thriller
Zoe and her father Lenny Kravitz were pictured in March as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
‘I think everything happens for a reason … and I think that was always the way it was meant to be,’ Kravitz said.
The storyline of the film features Tatum as billionaire businessman Slater King, who crosses paths with a cocktail waitress named Frida (Naomi Ackie) at a gala he attends. King invites Frida to accompany him on a vacation at a private island he owns.
‘As strange things start to happen, Frida questions her reality,’ according to a logline for the film. ‘Something is wrong with this place. She’ll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.’
Kravitz’s first film as a director features an ensemble cast including Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Haley Joel Osment, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan and Geena Davis.
The movie debuts in theaters nationwide August 23.
