‘Cool to do movie with love of my life’: Actress Zoe Kravitz on directing fiance Channing Tatum

LOS ANGELES – American actress and first-time film-maker Zoe Kravitz thanked fiance Channing Tatum – whom she describes as the love of her life – for trusting her to direct him in their new psychological thriller, Blink Twice.

Opening in Singapore cinemas on Aug 22, the movie stars Tatum as Slater King, a charming but inscrutable billionaire who invites cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) to party with him and his friends on his private island.

But this flirty dream vacation is soon marred by a series of strange occurrences that leave Frida questioning what is and is not real.

Introducing the film at its recent Los Angeles premiere, Kravitz gets up on stage and reads a thank-you letter she wrote to Tatum, 44, whom she has been dating since 2021 and engaged to since 2023.

“Thank you for trusting me to female-direct you,” says the 35-year-old, who starred in the Emmy-winning drama series Big Little Lies (2017 to 2019).

“It’s really very cool to get to make a movie, but when you get to do it with the love of your life, it’s even cooler.”

Tatum – the American actor known for playing a male stripper in the Magic Mike comedy-drama films (2012 to 2023) – also co-produced Blink Twice and was a big source of moral support for his fiancee, especially when she was racked with self-doubt.

“From producing to performing, to the pep talks, to holding my head while I cried on the bathroom floor because I thought I had f***ed it up,” says Kravitz, who is the daughter of American rock singer Lenny Kravitz, 60, and American actress Lisa Bonet, 56.

“Thank you for letting me be a complete OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) psycho control freak. Thank you for your patience.

“Making this film with you has been an awfully great adventure,” continues the star, who played Catwoman opposite English actor Robert Pattinson in the superhero movie The Batman (2022).

Kravitz says Blink Twice, which she also co-wrote, was inspired in part by her own life.

“The concept came from my experience of being a woman and being a woman in many powerful spaces, around powerful men, and wanting to express what it feels like to be in that position,” says the actress, who was previously married to American actor Karl Glusman, 36.

And she had Tatum in mind when writing the script, although “until I realised these (actors) would be down to do it, I don’t think I would have ever dared to dream I would get this cast”, Kravitz says of other members of the ensemble like Christian Slater, Haley Joel Osment, Adria Arjona, Geena Davis and Kyle MacLachlan.

Tatum praises her work ethic and perfectionism, revealing that the film “went on a complete journey” with lots of ups and downs.

“I really believe that there was nothing but her hard work and staying in the fight that got it to this place,” he says.

“She really and truly did the work – and did the work more than I ever would if I directed a movie. I would just be, like, ‘No, I feel like it’s good, and we’re going to send that.’

“But she stays in there and just makes sure that every single little detail is there,” adds Tatum, who has an 11-year-old daughter with his former wife, American actress Jenna Dewan, 43.

Playing this mysterious billionaire character was also a bit of a departure for the actor.

“Most characters I’ve played, I’ve stolen from things in my actual life where I can be, like, ‘Oh, I relate to that’ or ‘I understand that, and let me create something from a place of honesty.’

“With this one, I created something so far away from myself, and really went down some very esoteric pathways to get there,” Tatum says.

Kravitz hopes that the characters and story – a dark comedy with horror elements that is getting positive reviews from critics – will also get viewers talking.

“As long as there is a discussion happening, I’m happy,” she says. “Hopefully you leave feeling very entertained, and also having conversations, debates and new feelings come up.”