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Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut was always going to be a project that made headlines, but her first movie also made headlines because of its provocative title. Originally called Pussy Island, Kravitz’s movie, which stars Naomi Ackie and Kravitz’s fiance Channing Tatum, is now called Blink Twice, and Kravitz has now explained why the title changed. And it’s exactly the reason you think.
The title Pussy Island was meant to be provocative, that was the whole idea. At the same time, titling the movie that was going to require not simply putting the word on screen, but putting it all over as part of the film’s promotion. It seems that was the ultimate issue with the title. Zoë Kravitz tells EW she received pushback, not from the studio, but from the various other organizations that were going to have to deal with the name. Kravitz explained…
It was made very clear to me that ‘pussy’ is a word that we, our society, are not ready to embrace yet. 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.
Zoë Kravitz certainly wanted her movie to have its original title, but at the end of the day, she had to balance the reality of the situation with her desires. Kravitz says she wanted the movie to use the word specifically because she wanted women to be able to “reclaim” it, but she has since discovered that women tended to have a bigger problem with the use of the word. She didn’t want the title to keep people from seeing the movie, so she agreed to change it. The actress continued…
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,’ which is part of the reason I wanted to try and use the word, which is trying to reclaim the word, and not make it something that we’re so uncomfortable using, But we’re not there yet. And I think that’s something I have the responsibility as a filmmaker to listen to. I care about people seeing the film, and I care about how it makes people feel.
The Blink Twice trailer promises a movie that is funny, terrifying, and clearly over the top. The title was likely designed to match that level of extremity. Unfortunately, reality got in the way.
Movie making is always a balance of art and business, and while it’s perhaps unfortunate that the film now has the somewhat mundane title Blink Twice, it is probably better for the film’s potential success. Pussy Island is an incredible title for a movie, though, perhaps someday audiences will be ready for it and somebody will be able to use it.