For five years, Zoë Kravitz was hard at work on a script to work through her frustration as she saw women taken advantage of by powerful men. Evolving with the help of her cowriter E.T. Feigenbaum, the story she now tells is a conflict between sexes and the consequences of that tug-of-war. The plot of Kravitz’s directorial debut, Pussy Island, follows a young and clever Los Angeles cocktail waitress, Frida (Naomi Ackie) as she skillfully maneuvers her way into the inner circle of a philanthropist and tech mogul, Slater King (Channing Tatum). She joins the billionaire on his private island, paving the way to a journey of a lifetime. With a setting of beautiful people, parties, and pleasures, something just feels off to Frida and she’s going to find out what it is.
Kravitz is firm about the vision of the movie she directed and co-wrote. In a recent interview with GQ, Kravitz revealed that while the title may make some people uncomfortable — including marketing professionals — she stands by it, and it’s not changing. Pussy Island is now in post-production, and GQ reached out to some of the stars to get their perspective on Kravitz’s directorial style. Of the environment that Kravitz commanded on set, Alia Shawkat said that “she’s the best curator of vibe I think there is. She’s very calm, and she’s a really good pack leader.”
Pussy Island lead actress Naomi Ackie felt similarly about being directed by Kravitz. Saying:
“It was a sight to see, to watch her in her power, with full agency, lead us all into a place where we felt very safe. We felt very creative. We felt all very connected to each other.”
Kravitz’s ability to create such a comfortable atmosphere could be attributed to her upbringing. In her conversation with GQ Kravitz went on to discuss how she was raised as a “vegan kid who did yoga” by her mother, Lisa Bonet, and moved in her preteen years across the country to live with her father, Lenny Kravitz, where she had a newfound freedom growing up with music legends around her.
Kravitz is now involved in post-production and editing on Pussy Island after the challenges of managing a big cast and crew in a foreign country. In addition to Shawkat, Ackie, and Tatum, Pussy Island’s cast also includes Christian Slater (Mr. Robot), Geena Davis (Thelma and Louise), Adria Arjona (Morbius), Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks).
Pussy Island is set for release in 2023, stay tuned at Collider for future updates. Check out our conversation with Kravitz following her appearance as Catwoman in Matt Reeves‘ The Batman down below.
