Zoë Kravitz Reveals Reason For Casting Ex Channing Tatum In 'Blink Twice'
Zoë Kravitz says Channing Tatum was the "first person" she thought of for "Blink Twice" role months after their split.
American actress Zoë Kravitz has revealed why she cast her ex-fiancé Channing Tatum in the movie "Blink Twice."
Kravitz had nothing but praise for her former lover and admitted that Tatum, who portrayed Slater King in the movie, hadn't done something like that before.
The actress's comments came two months after she and Tatum ended their engagement after three years of dating.
Zoë Kravitz Says Channing Tatum Was 'The First Person' She Thought Of For The Role
Kravitz spoke to filmmaker Matt Reeves for Variety's Directors on Directors and explained how she arrived at the cast for "Blink Twice," which was her directorial debut.
She explained, "Channing was the first person I thought of for Slater King, and I don't know where that came from, similar to you. I knew that the character needed to be somebody who we think we trust, especially because you don't believe Naomi is getting on that plane if it's someone who is immediately insidious."
Kravitz said she wanted to weaponize Tatum's charisma before adding, "We've never seen him do something like that."
'Blink Twice' Plot And Cast
Zoë Kravitz directed and produced the psychological thriller, which tells the story of tech billionaire Slater King, who meets cocktail waitress Frida during his fundraising gala and tells her to join him and his friends for a dream vacation on his private island.
However, there is more to the vacation than meets the eye, and soon, strange things begin to occur, meaning Frida must uncover the truth if she wants to get out alive.
Tatum, who also produced the movie, played Slater, while Naomi Ackie portrayed Frida. Other cast members include Alia Shawkat as Frida's best friend, Christian Slater as Vic, Simon Rex as Cody, and Levon Hawke as Lucas, Haley Joel Osment as Tom, and Adria Arjona as Sarah.
Kravitz also starred as a swanky stewardess in the movie, which premiered at the DGA Theatre in Los Angeles.
Zoë Kravitz And Channing Tatum Call Off Their Engagement
Kravitz's comments about Tatum's portrayal of Slater King come two months after the former lovebirds ended their engagement.
Multiple sources told People had ended their relationship, though there was initially no reason given for their split.
Later, an insider told People that the pair hadn't been on same page and "grew apart."
However, the source didn't give more details, making the differences that caused the former couple to go their separate ways unclear.
Zoë Kravitz And Channing Tatum Get Engaged
In October 2023, multiple sources told People were engaged. The revelation came after the pair were photographed leaving a Halloween party, with Kravitz, who wore a Rosemary Woodhouse costume and seemingly showed off her engagement ring in pictures.
However, despite news of their engagement making the rounds, neither Kravitz nor Tatum spoke about it. Also, they didn't post pictures of their engagement on social media.
Kravitz and Tatum's engagement came months after the latter said he had no idea if he would ever get married again following a messy divorce with his ex-wife Jenna Dewan.
In a January 2023 interview with Vanity Fair, Tatum said, "Relationships are hard for me. Even though I am a bit of a monogamist. In business, I have no fear of anything being destroyed. But heart things, when it comes to people I love, I have a really hard time. I end up trying too hard, you know?"
Zoë Kravitz And Channing Tatum Start Dating
The former lovers reportedly started dating in the summer of 2021 after meeting during the casting process of "Blink Twice." The "Batman" actress opened up about their relationship while speaking to GQ in the cover interview for their 2022 Men of the Year issue.
Kravitz described Tatum as a wonderful man, adding, "He makes me laugh and we both really love art and talking about art and the exploration of why we do what we do." She also shared that they loved watching movies, breaking them down, talking about them, and challenging themselves.
The 36-year-old actress revealed that Tatum, 44, was her guardian on set during the filming of "Blink Twice." She shared, "Whether it was making me tea or pouring me a drink or going to whip someone into shape or whatever — he really was my protector and it was really wonderful and sweet."
