This month marks Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum’s first anniversary of dating, but they originally met when she cast him as tech mogul Slater King in her 2023 feature directorial debut P***y Island.

‘I wanted to find someone who hadn’t played a dark character before, because I think that’s exciting to watch someone who’s mostly played boy next door, good guy, love interest, all of that,’ the 33-year-old SAG Award nominee told WSJ. Magazine on Tuesday.

‘I felt, even from afar, before I knew him, that he was a feminist and that he wasn’t afraid of exploring that darkness, because he knows he’s not that. That’s why I was drawn to him and I wanted to meet with him. And I was right.’

Boss-turned-boo: This month marks Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum’s first anniversary of dating, but they originally met when she cast him as tech mogul Slater King in her 2023 feature directorial debut P***y Island (pictured in 2021)

The 33-year-old SAG Award nominee told WSJ. Magazine on Tuesday: ‘I wanted to find someone who hadn’t played a dark character before, because I think that’s exciting to watch someone who’s mostly played boy next door, good guy, love interest, all of that’

The Alabama-born 42-year-old – whose nine-year-old daughter Everly inspired his Sparkella children’s books – had never met Zoë before their meeting about the MGM movie.

‘It’s always really intriguing to have someone bring you something that literally no one else has ever thought of you for,’ Channing told the mag.

‘When we first met the movie was pretty different than its form now, but the themes were the same. All the iterations it has gone through were all pretty punk rock, to be honest.’

P***y Island stars Naomi Ackie as a LA cocktail waitress called Frida, who maneuvers her way into Slater’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his terrifying private island in the Yucatán.

Zoë continued: ‘I felt, even from afar, before I knew him, that he was a feminist and that he wasn’t afraid of exploring that darkness, because he knows he’s not that. That’s why I was drawn to him and I wanted to meet with him. And I was right’

Feminist: The Alabama-born 42-year-old – whose nine-year-old daughter Everly (pictured in 2021) inspired his Sparkella children’s books – had never met Kravitz before their meeting about the MGM movie

Channing told the mag: ‘It’s always really intriguing to have someone bring you something that literally no one else has ever thought of you for…When we first met the movie was pretty different than its form now, but the themes were the same. All the iterations it has gone through were all pretty punk rock, to be honest’ (pictured on September 13)

The plot about a young woman entering a cult-like kingdom ruled by a powerful man sounds very similar to Olivia Wilde’s upcoming second directorial effort Don’t Worry Darling and The Weeknd’s upcoming HBO series The Idol.

‘The title is the seed of the story. It represents this time where it would be acceptable for a group of men to call a place that, and the illusion that we’re out of that time now,’ Kravitz explained.

‘[My script co-written by E.T. Feigenbaum] was born out of a lot of anger and frustration around the lack of conversation about the treatment of women, specifically in industries that have a lot of money in them, like Hollywood, the tech world, all of that.’

On June 8, Haley Joel Osment – who plays a mystery role – shared a curious slideshow of himself getting a prosthetic mold of his face, which was captioned: ‘It begins.’

Protagonist: P***y Island stars Naomi Ackie (pictured March 13) as a LA cocktail waitress called Frida, who maneuvers her way into Slater’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his terrifying private island in the Yucatán

Déjà vu? The plot about a young woman entering a cult-like kingdom ruled by a powerful man sounds very similar to Olivia Wilde’s upcoming second directorial effort Don’t Worry Darling (pictured) and The Weeknd’s upcoming HBO series The Idol

The Batman star explained: ‘The title is the seed of the story. It represents this time where it would be acceptable for a group of men to call a place that, and the illusion that we’re out of that time now’

Zoë explained: ‘[My script co-written by E.T. Feigenbaum] was born out of a lot of anger and frustration around the lack of conversation about the treatment of women, specifically in industries that have a lot of money in them, like Hollywood, the tech world, all of that’

And on August 4, Simon Rex – who plays Cody – wrote on Instagram: ‘Almost done filming P***y Island with these rascals and rascalettes! It’s gonna be a whole situation.’

Geena Davis, Christian Slater, Kyle MacLachlan, Alia Shawkat, Levon Thurman-Hawke, Trew Mullen, Saul Williams, Liz Caribel Sierra, and Cris Costa are also featured in P***y Island.

The Batman star confessed to having ‘severe social anxiety’ and ‘really didn’t feel beautiful growing up’ as the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet.

On June 8, Haley Joel Osment – who plays a mystery role – shared a curious slideshow of himself getting a prosthetic mold of his face, which was captioned: ‘It begins’

And on August 4, Simon Rex – who plays Cody – wrote on Instagram: ‘Almost done filming P***y Island with these rascals and rascalettes! It’s gonna be a whole situation’

‘A big part of that was where I grew up, who I was around in terms of being the only black girl. I wasn’t exotic and cool-looking. I was the weirdo with the fuzzy hair,’ Zoë said of Topanga.

‘Then, you grow up and you look different now. It’s weird because it’s not really how I identify. I think a lot of people probably will hear that and think that’s bull***, but that’s just how I feel.

‘Even with directing, I think to myself, “Okay, I’m not going to be in a movie for a year. I hope we make another Batman.” It’s just the sickness of the mind where I genuinely can convince myself that I won’t work again, that no one will call me and want me. That never goes away.’

‘I was the weirdo with the fuzzy hair’: Kravitz confessed to having ‘severe social anxiety’ and ‘really didn’t feel beautiful growing up’ as the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet (exes pictured at her 2019 wedding)

The Kimi star said: ‘Then, you grow up and you look different now. It’s weird because it’s not really how I identify. I think a lot of people probably will hear that and think that’s bull***, but that’s just how I feel’

Zoë went on: ‘Even with directing, I think to myself, “Okay, I’m not going to be in a movie for a year. I hope we make another Batman.” It’s just the sickness of the mind where I genuinely can convince myself that I won’t work again, that no one will call me and want me. That never goes away’