Zoe Kravitz & Questlove on Finding the ‘Dark Side’ for Crime Thriller-Meets-Love Story ‘Vincent N Roxxy’

Adelle Platon
·3 min read
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Tribeca Film Festival-goers came to New York’s Bow Tie Cinemas looking for thrills on Monday night for the premiere of the romance-meets-action flick Vincent N Roxxy. Led by Zoe Kravitz and Emile Hirsch, the on-screen couple try to dodge violence while on the run. 

For Kravitz, playing Roxxy gave her the chance to command the big screen after playing supporting characters for the millennial hit Dope and post-apocalyptic sci-fi trip Mad Max: Fury Road. Here, the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet takes the lead for a role that director Gary Michael Schultz says was written for her.

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“Roxxy’s a badass and it’s so refreshing to see roles that are written for women, especially [in movies] written by men that have empowered women in them,” she told Billboard on the red carpet. “When I was reading the script, I let the stereotypes get the best of me where I assumed how it was going to end but this film really does take an interesting [turn] which I don’t want to give away but it’s so nice to see a heroine.”

With a diverse cast that includes rapper/actor Kid Cudi (real name Scott Mescudi), Zoey Dutch and Emory Cohen, Kravitz reveals that an interracial relationship wasn’t written for Vincent N Roxxy. “[Diversity’s] important but at the same time, I don’t want to feel like I’m being cast because a film needs a black person. I think it’s important to look at that when we talk about diversity, you know. The thing I loved about the way Gary wrote this film was the fact that Roxxy [being] black and Vincent’s white was never mentioned in the script.”

Questlove to Score Crime Drama ‘Vincent N Roxxy’ Starring Zoe Kravitz & Kid Cudi

Meanwhile, The Roots‘ Questlove, who handles the film’s music, says that the thriller marks Zoe’s “breakout role” and did copped to one awkward moment. “I’ve known Zoe for 20 years so [scoring her scenes] made it a little creepy for me. Knowing someone that I’ve known since the age of 8 now doing this love scene,” explained Quest, who has also scored Chris Rock’s Top Five and episodes of Inside Amy Schumer. “It was a challenge because scoring films is a little different than making records. First of all, drums are a big part of my life and eliminating drums was one of the hardest sacrifices I had to make because it would get in the way of the dialogue but I think I did well.”

The musical guru also said the project offered a different subject matter for him to work with. “As with any project I work on, I put 100 percent into it,” he said. “It’s a really dark film so it’s the first time I had to work with such a dark subject but it was fun to delve into the dark side for a minute.”

Vincent N Roxxy is currently playing as part of Tribeca Film Fest on Friday night (April 22) and Saturday night at Regal Battery Park Stadium 11.

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