Naomie Ackie’s biggest regret is that she is not part of the Harry Potter Movies.
“I still really want to be part of the franchise somehow! I was a huge Potter fan as a kid and I was so jealous of all the kids who were in the movies. I really wanted to be Hermione (Granger), but of course that role was already taken and played wonderfully by Emma Watson. When I was 15, I auditioned for the role of Lavender Brown and made it to the second round… but unfortunately it didn’t work out. Oh well, maybe they’ll let me audition for her again,” she sighs.
The Londoner hasn’t worn coats or cast spells (yet), but things haven’t gone too badly for her since then. After her breakthrough with films like Lady Macbeth And Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerher roles in two successful television series — The end of the damn world And Master of Nothing — announced Naomie’s arrival in Hollywood. She was then cast as Whitney Houston in the biopic of the legendary singer. I want to dance with someonewhich earned the up-and-coming British actor widespread critical acclaim.
Naomie Ackie as Whitney Houston in “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”
And it just keeps getting better; next she stars in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Flash twice (released this week) and will then be shown in parasite The long-awaited science fiction thriller from filmmaker and Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho Mickey 17.
Popular with female filmmakers
Flash twice will be her second outing with a black female filmmaker (the Houston biopic was directed by Kasi Lemmons), and Naomie has previously spoken about how when a black woman takes the helm of a project, there is “almost an unspoken understanding” about what is expected of her as an actress.
She continues: “When you have something profound in common in terms of identity with the person who is guiding you through a story, you obviously know that there is nothing you can’t talk about. There are no sensitive buttons when it comes to discussing these things and it becomes a really open conversation. Fortunately, I have dealt with many directors who do not have the same identity as me but have still been able to find that with me. But I have found an ease and above all a joy in working with people who know and have lived my experiences.”
Channing Tatum, director, author and producer Zoë Kravitz and Naomi Ackie at the European premiere of “Blink Twice” | Photo: JOHN PHILLIPS
She adds: “It’s very special. And you know, there aren’t many female directors anyway, let alone female directors of color, not just black ones, but all over the world. So when I work with directors who are different from the norm, of course I think, ‘Oh wow, this is going to be different and it’s going to be fun.’ Maybe I can discover something different and explore other avenues of acting.”
Zoë Kravitz’s psychological thriller is about a cocktail waitress (Naomie) whose path crosses that of a billionaire tech mogul (Channing Tatum) and who is whisked away by him and his chic friends to a private island for a dream vacation. Of course, paradise is not what it seems and things soon spiral out of control.
Originally titled Pussy Island, The film was renamed Flash twice after it had encountered controversy. “There were many obstacles along the way, whether it was the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) not wanting to put the film on a poster, a billboard or a kiosk; cinemas not wanting to put it on a ticket,” director Zoë previously explained ruefully.
Naomi Ackie attends the photocall for ‘Blink Twice’ at IET London | Photo credit: NICKY J SIMS
“Interestingly, after researching it, it turned out that women felt attacked by the word and that women who saw the title said, ‘I don’t want to see that film.’ That’s one of the reasons I wanted to try to use the word. It’s about reclaiming it and not making it something that we are so uncomfortable using,” she said.
Naomie, who was a huge fan of the earlier title, notes: “It was such an engaging title to grab people’s attention. It felt taboo, cheeky and naughty and hit right at the heart of the story. But at the same time, we had to acknowledge that for some people, that word is not necessarily liberating and offensive. And we want as many people as possible to feel connected to this work.”
The actress continues: “There’s a great line in the trailer for the film where her character says, ‘Blink twice when I’m in danger!’ “So the new title still has a connection to the story, it’s just a different angle. We were OK with whatever we needed to do to make sure everyone felt included and no one felt left out.”
Naomi Ackie attends the premiere of “Blink Twice” at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles | Photo credit: MARIO ANZUONI
Collaboration with Zoë Kravitz
The film was written in a time before #MeToo and then went through several changes as the climate in Hollywood changed following the Harvey Weinstein trials. Did Naomie, who is known for often collaborating with her directors on the scripts, offer suggestions on what the narrative should be?
Naomi muses: “Zoe, as a writer, is always open to dialogue. If I tell her about a personal experience I’ve had, she’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s incredible. Let’s use that!’ I come from a theatre background, so a lot of that world is throwing ideas out there. If it works, it works; if not, fine, let’s find something new. So it was a real gift to get into that really collaborative space with Zoë, because even if the ideas didn’t necessarily work, knowing that she was always open to it meant that I had a certain amount of freedom in how I portrayed and portrayed the character.”
The 31-year-old experienced a turbulent summer in 2022, spending 12 to 14 hours a day immersed in the world of three different filmmakers and three very different characters; after filming Flash twiceshe jumped on a plane to do reshoots for I want to dance with someoneand was then placed directly on Joon-ho’s sets for Mickey 17.
“Phew! That was very hectic,” she grins. “I remember my agent saying, ‘Okay, so by the end of this year you’re going to be completely exhausted.’ But I was ready to take the hits; I’m very lucky as an actress because they make it as easy as possible for you to move from one place to another. You have the privilege of traveling and seeing new places and then you just have to make it work. What made it easier for me was the fact that all three were completely different characters and not connected in any way. More than anything, it was whiplash for me to be thrown from one world to another: from Flash twice in Mexico, bam, I’m in LA doing Whitney again, and then bam, I’m back in London doing “Mickey 17.”
Robert Pattinson in the first look at Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17”
Enter the magical world of Bong Joon-ho
Her eyes light up at the mention of working with Bong Joon-ho, not to mention the star-studded cast with names like Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo.”Mickey 17 was the longest; we shot it for five months and it was a real honour. There are things in life that you don’t even think you can hope for, you know? For example, I could never have imagined being in a Bong Joon-ho film. The first one I saw of his was parasiteand I blinked for a year or two, and suddenly I was standing there exchanging ideas with this man who is so incredibly nice and funny.”
The film is based on Edward Ashton’s 2002 novel of the same name and is set to be released on January 31, 2025. Naomie says she can’t wait to see the full film: “He (Joon-ho) has a wild brain and an incredible imagination, and the way he communicates… it was a real privilege to be a part of that. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I’m incredibly excited to find out what it was. It was also so long ago that I honestly don’t even remember what he did.”
Finally the trailer of Flash twice has sparked debate over whether the film was inspired by Hollywood’s famously wild private parties. Can Naomie substantiate the claim?
She laughs: “You know what, I have to admit, I’m a bit of a homebody and I don’t really go out partying. I’ve been to some great parties – not like Blink twice (laughs) — especially after awards night, when you’re walking around thinking, ‘Oh my God! This is so and so,’ and completely freaking out. So I’ve been lucky enough to go to a few, but most of the time I’m much happier just chilling at home.”
