Channing Tatum delves into ‘Dark Places’ for his psychopathic role in Zoë Kravitz’s Blink Twice
Going to any extent to do justice and bring authenticity to a particular role redefines one actor. While some transform their body, a few go to insane psychological heights. Channing Tatum, an intelligent and subtle performer did something like this for Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice. He did something that he had not done before for his role where he played tech billionaire Slater King.
Channing Tatum talks about his preparation for Blink Twice Role
Channing Tatum revealed that prepping for the role for Blink Twice differed a lot from anything he had done earlier. The 21 Jump Street star discussed working on the directorial debut of his fiancée Zoë Kravitz in an interview with Total Film. He stars as Slater King, a tech billionaire in this mystery thriller.
According to Tatum, “It’s the first time I’ve ever played anyone.” He normally falls in love with or relates to the characters that he plays. This one was, however, different. Tatum said that he doesn’t think he’ll ever tell anybody what he had to create inside his head to play this particular role, pointing out the real psychopathic nature of the character.
Tatum has already carved his niche in comedies and romantic comedies with titles like She’s the Man, Jump Street movies, and the Magic Mike series. His filmography indeed stretches across many genres: romance, drama, action/suspense, and science fiction. However, Blink Twice will be his first time playing a dark, evil character.
What is Blink Twice all about?
The brand-new thriller, originally called Pussy Island, follows Slater, who has Frida (Naomi Ackie) as a cocktail waitress guest at his fundraiser. He invites her to join him and his friends to his private island for a utopian-like getaway. As Frida settles in on the island, she starts questioning reality as strange events begin to unfold.
Zoë Kravitz has recently talked to Entertainment Weekly about why she decided to change the original title of her film. Originally called Pussy Island, Kravitz stated that the very provocative name caused a massive furor. “It was made very clear to me that ‘pussy’ is a word that we, our society, are not ready to embrace yet.” The MPAA and a number of theaters would object to putting such a title on posters, billboards, and tickets.
Moreover, Kravitz also noticed that after researching it, she found out that women were offended by the word, and with the title, women are saying they don’t want to see that movie. And this is why she wanted to try and use this word, trying to reclaim the word, and not make it something people are so uncomfortable using.
She acknowledged that society could not yet be ready to make such a bold statement. “But we’re not there yet,” she stated. Being a filmmaker, Kravitz felt a responsibility to the audience and how they reacted and were influenced by the film. She wanted to make sure people are comfortable when watching the film.
The original title, however, is very close to her heart for Kravitz. She shared that she still believes that Pussy Island was the first thing she wrote down while writing this movie, and it’s the seed of the film. The spirit of what that means to her is still alive and very much there in the film. At the same time, she does appear very happy with the new title, Blink Twice. This title, Kravitz feels, does something to focus the film and deepen its story in a way that will be meaningful to her vision.
Blink Twice promises to be a worthwhile psychological thriller with churning themes of isolation and power. One may expect a heavy atmosphere, as it contains rich characterization and will present Channing Tatum in a darker, edgier performance. The film promises to capture and intrigue audiences with the long-lasting impression it will have on movie lovers.
ALSO READ: Channing Tatum Reveals How He And Zoë Kravitz Met Because Of Blink Twice’s Script