Zo? Kravitz Tried to Tap Into Something ‘Ancient’ with Her Feature Directorial Debut ‘Blink Twice’
Although Zo? Kravitz long had the hunger to write and direct, the actual process of creating “Blink Twice” was led by fast instincts. “I didn’t have a plan,” she tells IndieWire over Zoom. “I started writing the story because I just wanted to write it, and I felt the emotion behind it.” She did not know at first that she was writing a screenplay, but just the process of writing down these ideas and feelings she was processing was therapeutic.
Only upon completion was Kravitz able to look back at it and say, “’Oh, that’s what I was saying, and this is what I was talking about. And that’s what that means. And this is a metaphor for this.’ But art is so magical in the way that you don’t really know what you’re doing. You’re just feeling your way through it. And then once it’s finished, you can understand it.”
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What became a seven-year journey to the screen started in 2017, between the success of “Big Little Lies” Season 1 and the beginning of the #MeToo Movement. Though her directorial debut, centered on a woman named Frida (Naomi Ackie) who is whisked away onto an island vacation by billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) that gradually descends into madness, is thematically similar to the latter phenomenon, Kravitz pushes back on the idea that it served as an inspiration for her film. “It was speaking to something that isn’t spoken about enough. And I think all of the women that were involved in that show were just happy to have such wonderful characters and something so personal and juicy and necessary,” she said.
For this new project set to be released by Amazon MGM Studios, Kravitz had a clean slate. It was not so much about surrounding herself with familiar faces as it was finding people who could understand her vision. “It was usually more me bringing a script to someone to see what they thought, and the people who responded would respond so strongly. And the people who didn’t get it, just didn’t get it,” she said. “The story and the world and the movie as a whole felt so clear in my mind that I was just too afraid to give it to somebody else to direct. I was very protective over it.”
Below, Kravitz clarifies what ideas she wanted to explore with “Blink Twice,” and what collaborators like her partner Tatum, Geena Davis, and her mother Lisa Bonet contributed to her new venture.
The following interview has been condensed for length and clarity.
IndieWire: How did you link up with your co-writer E.T. Feigenbaum? It looks like your working relationship even predated when you two collaborated on “High Fidelity.”
Zo? Kravitz: Yeah, exactly. So Eric, we had mutual friends. We both live in Brooklyn, so I knew him from the neighborhood, and he wanted to get into writing. He had sent me a script or two that he’d written, and I thought, “He’s got a really cool voice and he’s talented,” but that was not his main profession at all. And when I wrote this story, I just thought, “OK, I’d love to write this with somebody,” because I like collaborating. I like having someone to bounce ideas off of when I’m writing scenes and dialogue specifically. And so I wrote this crazy novella story, stream of consciousness thing, with the characters of Frida and Slater and this place and whatever. And I sent it to Eric and I just said, “This is insane. And it’s like throw up on a page because I was trying to get this thing out, but do you think there’s something here and do you want to fuck around basically with this thing?”
And so we started writing together. I’d go over to his house every day and we would just sit on his kitchen table and have our laptops out next to each other, and we would write, and we just kept going. And then “High Fidelity” came around and I was producing that. And at that point, me and him had been writing for about a year together. And I asked him, “Do you want to come?” And we already had such a great shorthand and such a great learning experience as well, so it was cool that he came and did that show with me.
This could come from bias, but it does feel like there is a legacy of Black actors in particular making bold, successful directorial debuts (Jordan Peele, Regina King, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, etc.) Is there anything you would contribute to that? Maybe this idea of already having that inside look at Hollywood really highlights for you all what stories are missing.
That’s interesting. Yeah, obviously any minority, but Black people I’m sure feel like, “OK, I got it. If I want to see the thing that we need, I have to make it.” Versus just, “I want to make something.” Usually, there’s a space for something and a hunger for something, and you’re making it for them and for us. So yeah, there’s a certain amount of hunger there. That makes sense. And I also think Black people need to work so hard to get to where they are. We work really hard and we have a lot of care. And also soul. There’s so much soul in all of their work. That’s obviously something that Black people have in such a beautiful way.
This being a seven-year journey for you, was the script changing at all to reflect things like the #MeToo conversations happening in late 2017 or the race conversations happening in 2020, etc.?
The script evolved in very cool ways. It’s so funny. The subject matter is so ancient, it’s power, the oppression of women. It’s the most basic things in the world. I’m talking about the Garden of Eden and the Serpent of Knowledge, and I’m starting way back at the very beginning, and yet it feels so current, which is really interesting. Which is maybe why I felt like this should be written about. But when you’re writing about something that is still so alive that it keeps changing and you have to keep adapting in terms of the culture and the characters and what behavior is acceptable? What’s a red flag now? What is in the character’s consciousness in terms of, “Girl, don’t get on that plane with that guy. Haven’t you read the news lately?” And so it was a cool thing to have to keep on keeping up with the times.
At the same time, nothing was changing. These stories would break about these people, and everyone wants to act all shocked. And my whole thing was, “You’re shocked that powerful men are abusing their power? This is a shock to you?” And it’s been so important to make it clear that this is not about anyone in particular. And boiling down what we’re really talking about in this film to two people is problematic.
Yeah I read that you were not aware of Jeffrey Epstein, and that whole controversy, until you were already making the film. I wonder if saying Slater is not inspired by anyone in particular brings forth how he could represent more of the monsters that the public is not so aware of.
Yeah, and it’s all a metaphor. It’s not so literal. So that [Epstein] situation, that particular place and person, that documentary or whatever it was, came out not even halfway through writing [“Blink Twice”]. But again, I set this on an island because I wanted to isolate the characters and have them deal with this situation. I was thinking about, again, the Garden of Eden and “Lord of the Flies,” and I’m not just also talking about powerful men at that level. It could be your husband. It could be the man down the street that’s following you home. It could be your boss, it could be a family member. There’s power on different levels and abuse of power on different levels. And so, how do you encapsulate this big idea into specific characters and try to find a way to make it relatable? People connect that to specific things, but that’s not the way it was thought about, if that makes sense.
You’ve said as well that you were writing from your own perspective. Why not play Frida yourself?
Because I actually serve this story better behind the camera. I was very excited to make space for another incredible performer and support her. And then also, I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like I’m in the movie. My experience is in the movie, it’s just in a different way. And I really wanted to tell this whole story and not just focus on one character.
You’ve mentioned wanting Channing to star in the film in order to play against type, but he’s also a producer on the project. What kind of behind the scenes input did he have, given how he himself had just gone through the experience of making his directorial debut?
Yeah, Chan’s an incredible businessman. He really understands the industry and the studio system and the way it works, and he knows so much about film and production. It’s really amazing actually, because I’ve just become the kind of actor that’s more involved in the productions that I’m in, so I’m new to all of this.
He was able to see problems before they happened because of his experience. And he also was able to use his power in a great way. Both with his experience, but also because of who he is, and was able to make sure that we were protecting the story and protecting what we were here to do. Because we work in an industry where things often get watered down to make everybody comfortable. And he was always so focused on protecting the story.
Was there any sort of extra effort put in giving each member of your ensemble their own moment? There have been films you’ve been in where people have left asking “Why wasn’t there more for Zo? to do,” so I wonder if that was something you were very conscious of.
Totally, for many reasons. As the writer, I don’t want filler characters. I want to understand who these people are and why they’re here. If you’re going to fall in love with someone or kill someone, I want to feel something when you do. So it’s so important that you flesh out the characters. And it’s really hard in ensemble films, because of time, to give everyone their moment. But the more prep you do and the more clear you are, you can do a lot with a little bit of time. And then also, yes, of course, as an actor, it’s important that everyone feels and knows why they’re there. And everyone has so many great ideas. And I hired people I admire, and so I hired people that I want to see shine. And so it’s my job to make sure that happens in the finished product.
I loved seeing Geena Davis in this, both with the metanarrative of knowing the work her Institute does, but also how her character reflects this generational difference, and how someone older may respond to the situation, and the heavy topics the film explores.
So far it’s very fresh, but I’ve seen a lot of different women of different generations respond in really amazing ways. One guy was interviewing me yesterday, and he was like, “I brought my mom.” And at first we were like, “Oh my God, how’d she take it?” And then I realized, “Oh my God, this is for her. Your mom might get it more than you do.” And so the whole thing with Geena’s character is very much a metaphor in terms of, I have so much compassion for that character.
And the killing of that is a metaphor. We don’t have to think about that, that way anymore. Being conditioned to believe this is the way it is, deal with it. And I feel, again, so much compassion for that generation, or any generation before this that didn’t have the community and the voice to say, “Hey, me too. Let’s talk about this,” or “Fuck this.” So I was so honored that Geena, with the work that she does and has done for women, was on board to play this part.
At the premiere, as you were making your thank-yous, you ended it with, “My mother, my champion, and inspiration.” Is there any way that she helped you through this?
She helped me so much. My mother is my best friend in the world. And not only is she my mother and the person that made me who I am, but she’s also just one of the most authentic people and artists I’ve ever met. And so having someone like her in my life that just has exquisite taste and is always searching for the truth and has so much care. And she came to set for two weeks just to be there with me and for me, she’s the woman in my life. And so she’s always been this guiding light. And so yeah, the story is from me, but through her and for her.
“Blink Twice” opens in theaters from Amazon MGM Studios on Friday, August 23.
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