Zoe Kravitz has said she had to rewrite her directorial debut Pussy Island following the #MeToo movement.
Speaking to Elle, Kravitz revealed that the script had been a work-in-progress for over five years but she changed it after the sexual abuse allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein came to light.
Kravitz, who also stars in The Batman, talked about Weinstein and his conviction for rape and sexual assault: “I started writing it pre-MeToo, pre-Harvey [Weinstein]. Then the world started to have the conversation, so [the script] changed a lot.”
She continued: “It became more about a power struggle and what that power struggle means. I rewrote it a million times. Now we’re like, ‘Holy s***. We’re doing this!’”
Pussy Island, which will star Kravitz’s boyfriend Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie, has been described as a psychological thriller that takes place on a tech entrepreneur's mysterious private island.
Kravitz also said the script was inspired by “the lack of conversation around the way women are treated specifically in the entertainment industry”.
She added that she has “moments of being nervous” behind the camera for the first time. Kravitz has starred in a number of blockbusters such as Mad Max: Fury Road and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them but Pussy Island will be her debut directing.
On directing for the first time, she commented: “I know the story so well, and I’m trying to focus less on ‘Am I going to do a good job?’ and more on ‘What is my intention?’”
