News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. August, 26, 2024: Caribbean roots star Naomi Sarah Ackie lit up the screen this weekend as ‘Blink Twice,’ the movie from Zoë Kravitz, opened in fourth place with $7.3 million.
Ackie, 32, the daughter of second-generation immigrants from Grenada, stars opposite Kravitz’ real life fiancee, Channing Tatum, who plays tech billionaire Slater King. He invites Ackie, who plays cocktail waitress and aspiring nail artist Frida, to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. Wild nights blend into sun-soaked days, and everyone’s having a great time. plays cocktail waitress and aspiring nail artist Frida, who ventures to the island alongside friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) and strangers Sarah (Adria Arjona), Camilla (Liz Caribel), and Heather (Trew Mullen). Their host, Slater, is a fresh off of an apology tour from some kind of undisclosed misconduct and claims he’s a changed man.
When the guests arrive, their phones are collected, they’re given matching linen dresses and swimsuits, and then the booze, drugs, and gourmet delights come out. What could go wrong? As it turns out, plenty. Jess goes missing, the maid (María Elena Olivares) keeps repeating cryptic phrases (“red rabbit”?). Manipulations and abuse rise to the surface. Soon Frida, like Daniel Kaluuya’s Chris in Get Out, goes from cheery to petrified – and joins forces with the other women to plot bloody revenge.
Blink Twice reportedly cost a modest $20 million to produce before marketing and received a B- CinemaScore from audiences. The film is from MGM and Amazon, with Warner Bros. handling overseas.
Ackie, born in London, is known for her television roles as Bonnie in The End of the F***ing World (2019) and Master of None (2021) and for her role as Jannah in the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). In 2022, she portrayed American singer Whitney Houston in the biopic ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody.’
Her father was a Transport for London employee and her mother worked for the National Health Service. She is one of three children and has an older brother and sister. She went to Walthamstow School for Girls.
Her first role was at the age of 11, playing the angel Gabriel in a school nativity play. She studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and graduated in 2012.’
Blink Twice was shot in Yucatán, Mexico. plays cocktail waitress and aspiring nail artist Frida, who ventures to the island alongside friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) and strangers Sarah (Adria Arjona), Camilla (Liz Caribel), and Heather (Trew Mullen). Their host, Slater, is a fresh off of an apology tour from some kind of undisclosed misconduct and claims he’s a changed man. When the guests arrive, their phones are collected, they’re given matching linen dresses and swimsuits, and then the booze, drugs, and gourmet delights come out. What could go wrong?
As it turns out, plenty. Jess goes missing, the maid (María Elena Olivares) keeps repeating cryptic phrases (“red rabbit”?). Manipulations and abuse rise to the surface. Soon Frida, like Daniel Kaluuya’s Chris in Get Out, goes from cheery to petrified — and joins forces with the other women to plot bloody revenge.
Ackie recently shared a funny story in a candid interview with PEOPLE about her experience with rock musician Lenny Kravitz, the father of Zoe Kravitz, whose mother also has roots in the Caribbean. Ackie shared that during the making of Blink Twice, while she was going through her filming activities, she went out from her bedroom and found herself face to face with Lenny Kravitz right outside.
Since they had never met before, Lenny Kravitz, known for his hit songs like “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”, introduced himself in a friendly manner. However, so overwhelmed by how famous he was that she automatically shut the door.
“I’d never met him before. I opened my bedroom door, and Lenny was just there. He was like, ‘Hi, you must be Naomi. I’m Lenny.’ I was like — I shut the door.” After getting herself together for a second, however, Ackie reopened the door to greet Kravitz properly. I took a moment to calm down and then said, ‘Okay, now I’m ready,’” she recalled.
For a glimpse of Ackie in Blink Twice, check out the clip here: Watch Now.
