Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut, Blink Twice, brings audiences to a lavish private island owned by tech billionaire Slater King. After catching his eye, Frida and her best friend Jess receive an invitation to join Slater and his buddies to live the good life on the remote island. But as Frida's crazy nights blend into one, Frida begins noticing something off with the entire situation. Blink Twice follows Frida as she unravels the truth behind Slater King and the island, and hopes to make it out alive.
Co-written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum, the psychological thriller examines the bad behaviour of those wealthy enough to be forgiven without much repent, and the people who enable that behaviour.
In theatres today, Warner Bros. Pictures' Blink Twice features a stacked ensemble filled with screen icons and some of the hottest emerging talents today. Before we grab our tickets to join Kravitz on a wild journey, we take a look at her cast, the characters they play, and where you've probably seen them before.
Naomi Ackie leads the film as Frida, a young woman in search of a better life, which becomes the driving force in Frida's pursuit of Slater, and the reason for the blinders that block her vision of reality. According to Kravtiz, Ackie injected an unexpected sweetness into Frida that only served to elevate the character and her eventual evolution.
Where you've seen her before: Prior to Blink Twice, the British actress made a name for herself in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the BAFTA-winning series The End of the F***ing World. However, where most audiences will be familiar with Ackie is her turn as the legendary Whitney Houston in the 2022 biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, for which she was nominated for the EE Rising Star Award at the 76th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). We'll see Ackie next alongside Robert Pattinson in Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi Mickey 17.
As Slater King, Channing Tatum is perfectly charming, offering Frida a life she's only imagined while also exhibiting the gravitas needed to embody the character's darkness. Tatum was Kravitz's first choice for Slater King (and he was also the first role cast), with the filmmaker noting that his good-natured demeanour was perfect to play a man most people would feel safe around. Kravitz also wanted to see Tatum take on a role unlike anything else he'd previously done.
Where you've seen him before: Although making headlines in recent weeks following his cameo as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine (if that's a spoiler, that's your fault), Tatum is known far and wide as Mike Lane, the male stripper with a heart of gold in the massively successful Magic Mike franchise, which Tatum also produced. However, for this millennial, Tatum will always be breakdancing bad boy Tyler Gage from 2006's Step Up.
Every tech mogul needs a right-hand man, and for Slater King that's Vic. As played by Christian Slater, Vic occupies that space every bro group has: the jerk that pushes the envelope too far but, for some reason, everyone has decided to just put up with him.
Where you've seen him before: One of the big players of the '90s, Christian Slater starred in some classics of the decade, such as Broken Arrow with John Travolta. However, two of his best roles came in the early part of the decade: Interview with a Vampire's Daniel Molloy, the reporter conducting the titular interview, and Clarence Worley, the Elvis Presley fanatic who finds himself entangled in murder and stolen drugs in True Romance.
Adding to Slater King's crew is Simon Rex's Cody, the food-obsessed one. Kravitz describes Cody as an "overly Kumbaya dude," as he bores the group and their guests with his culinary pursuits, including a strong penchant for wine.
Where you've seen him before: After working as a model, Rex joined MTV as a video jockey in 1995. Since then, he's starred in numerous movies alongside maintaining a music career, but his biggest role to date is as Mikey "Saber" Davies in Sean Baker's Red Rocket, in which he played a former porn star who begins a relationship with 17-year-old Raylee (Suzanna Son).
As expected, Slater King has numerous potential suitors on the island, but the only other woman to pose a serious threat to Frida is Sarah, a former reality show contestant. Portrayed by Adria Arjona, Sarah initially exhibits a great deal of envy over the attention Slater King lays upon Frida.
Where you've seen her before: Arjona has been steadily working in the entertainment industry for over a decade now, appearing in supporting roles on True Detective and Narcos. Most recently, she lit up the screen with Glen Powell in the action rom-com Hit Man as Madison, a woman wanting to put a hit out on her abusive husband.
Geena Davis joins the cast as Stacy, Slater King's sister and assistant, in a nuanced and critical role. Stacy represents the women complicit in the dangerous behaviour of men, and this requires the experience of Davis to truly highlight the complexities in the Stacys of the world.
Where you've seen them before: Geena Davis has been an icon in cinema starting in the 1980s when she made her feature film debut with a supporting role in the classic film Tootsie. From Thelma & Louise to A League of Their Own to Beetlejuice, Davis has endured as one of her generation's great actors, winning an Academy Award for her performance in 1988's The Accidental Tourist as Muriel, a dog trainer who works at an animal hospital and cares for her poorly son.
Alia Shawkat's Jess accompanies Frida onto the island and, as Frida's best friend, Jess seems to be more sensitive to the unsettling nature of their newly found luxurious lifestyle. Shawkat and Ackie share a vibrant chemistry that lends well to their bestie dynamic and ultimately offers Frida some much-needed perspective.
Where you've seen them before: For five seasons, Shawkat starred in Arrested Development as Maeby Fünke, the member of the Bluth clan with (comparatively) the most sense and the one who inspired George Michael's (Michael Cera) most passionate thoughts. In addition to Arrested Development, Shawkat had a lead role in the HBO series Search Party as Dory who leads the charge in finding a missing young woman in New York City.
Haley Joel Osment rounds out Slater King's bros as Tom, a former sitcom star whose life has taken a downturn. As he navigates a contentious divorce, Slater takes Tom under his wing as a pet project of sorts in an effort to "fix" the struggling actor. An outwardly sweet member of the posse, as the film progresses, Tom reveals microaggression upon microaggression.
Where you've seen him before: As a child actor, Osment found tremendous success in A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Forrest Gump and, of course, The Sixth Sense, which earned him awards recognition, including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Today, Osment continues to work in both film and television, including a particularly memorable role in the first season of The Boys as Mesmer, a telepath who meets his bloody end by Billy the Butcher's crushing hands.