In a new interview with star Maya Erskine, Zoë Kravitz pulled back the curtain on the rampant sexism she recently faced while directing her first feature film. Kravitz was discussing her upcoming directorial debut Blink Twice, which stars her real-life fiancé Channing Tatum. When she exposed the harsh reality that women who take charge are still labeled as “b*tches” in the industry.
Zoë Kravitz has quickly become an acclaimed Hollywood leading lady known for sharp, complex roles. In 2022 she starred as Catwoman in the blockbuster The Batman opposite Robert Pattinson. Kravitz also recently directed her first feature film Blink Twice, which headlines her real-life fiancé Channing Tatum. The couple met in 2021 and got engaged in 2023.
Zoë Kravitz Gets Candid About Hollywood Sexism After Directing Movie With Channing Tatum
Now with Zoë Kravitz helming Blink Twice and Channing Tatum as her lead actor, their joint creative project faced harsh criticism. Her remarks expose the tragic biases female directors still combat in. According to an interview with Interview Magazine, Kravitz gave her blunt and honest opinion of Hollywood’s sexist side:
“As women, we try to do things in the nicest way possible. It got to the point sometimes where I was, like, ‘No, it needs to be like this and we need it right now,’” Kravitz explained. “And people will call you a b*tch. It’s just the truth.”
Kravitz confessed that crew members branded her demanding directorial style as aggressive and overly harsh, despite the fact that she was simply doing her job.
“If you send the email that Michael is sending, they’ll be like, ‘Whoa, what’s her problem?’” she said, referencing the straightforward communication style of Erskine’s partner. “People just take in information differently.”
The double standard also manifested itself in Kravitz naturally taking on domestic emotional labor on top of her directing duties.
“As women, we have this need to mother people as well as be creative and do our jobs. I like that that part of my brain turns on when I’m working. It doesn’t take away space. It just adds to it, I think. And yet they will still call you a b*tch,” she noted.
Yet her empathetic leadership was not rewarded but rather used against her.
How Can Hollywood Fix Its Sexist Standards?
Kravitz’s remarks shine a damning light on how women with authority in entertainment continue to face gendered criticism and restraints. Even A-list creatives like Kravitz cannot escape the cruel reality that asserting one’s vision as a director while female is framed as problematic.
So what can be done to rewrite these double standards? Kravitz argues part of the onus lies on women supporting each other. Her chat with Erskine modeled that kind of camaraderie, with Kravitz hyping up Erskine’s performance and Erskine expressing excitement to see Kravitz’s film.
But dismantling systemic sexism must also come from the top down. Hollywood players should take Kravitz’s candid words as a sobering reminder that there is still immense work to be done in order to achieve gender equality behind the scenes.
