Zoë Kravitz Opens Up About Why She Changed Her Movie's Originally NSFW Title
"Women were offended by the word."
When Zoë Kravitz first announced the name of her directorial debut, some people were shocked. That was obviously part of the point, but the first-time director also wanted to reclaim an NSFW word that’s frequently used derogatorily against women. However, earlier this year, Kravitz decided to change the title to something more family-friendly, and now she’s explaining why.
In 2021, Kravitz revealed her first movie as a writer/director would be called P*ssy Island, created from a script she’d been working on for about four years. However, the psychological thriller’s title was abruptly changed a few months before its release in early 2024, and it will now hit theaters as the much less NSFW Blink Twice when it premieres on Aug. 23.
Kravitz shared that she made the change partially because she receiving pushback in terms of marketing the film. “It was made very clear to me that ‘pussy’ is a word that we, our society, are not ready to embrace yet,” Kravitz told Entertainment Weekly on July 9. “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.”
But even more so than the business end of things, Kravitz also chose to alter the name when she learned more women than she realized were upset by the word. “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,’” Kravitz said. “Part of the reason I wanted to try and use the word is trying to reclaim the word, and not make it something that we’re so uncomfortable using.”
Although Kravitz wanted to reclaim the word, she came to the conclusion that the time is not yet right. “We’re not there yet. And 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.”
While Kravitz didn’t get to use the title she initially wanted, she did get the added bonus of a boyfriend while directing her first movie. Kravitz began dating her leading man Channing Tatum while making Blink Twice, and they’ve been going strong ever since.
Blink Twice will hit theaters on Aug. 23.
