Zoë Kravitz and Naomi Ackie Say Some Blink Twice Scenes Were So Intense, the Cast Had a ‘Group Hug’ After (Exclusive)

For Zoë Kravitz and Naomi Ackie, filming Blink Twice was an intense affair. So intense, in fact, that the cast members needed a “group hug,” Ackie says in the new issue of PEOPLE.

In the new thriller, co-written and directed by Kravitz, 35, Ackie, 32, plays Frida, a struggling waitress who meets tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum, Kravitz’s fiancé) at a black tie affair. 

Even though she’s working the event, she slips into a dress and pretends to be a guest, catching the eye of King, a powerful figure who’s trying to repair his image after accusations of wrongdoing. 

That night, he invites Frida and her friend (Alia Shawkat) to join him, some other gorgeous women, and a pack of his pals (played by Christian Slater, Haley Joel Osment, Simon Rex and Levon Hawke) on his private jet. 

They land on Slater’s private island, where they drink, swim, dine, sleep, repeat. But soon, Frida begins to suspect that something is wrong — and that’s when things take a dark and sinister turn.

Without giving away the plot, it turns out the men are not anything resembling gentlemen. 

Regarding the tougher scenes the film depicts, “we had a lot of conversations,” says Kravitz. “We had nights where we would all talk as a group, and people would share whatever they wanted to share. Their own fears, concerns, personal experiences.”

“We had nights where just the men would talk, and they would have a safe space, and the women would talk. It’s not just about the finished product, the destination — it’s about how we get there. And so we all needed to work through what we needed to work through,” she continues.

Ackie calls those conversations “beautiful,” adding, “Some of the hardest scenes, where we came away feeling depleted, like we just had a big group hug.”

“It was really special,” says Ackie. “Those things I will never forget. The reason why I became an actor was for the community, now I realize. It’s the people that you’re with, and the fact that you can trust people enough to create a story rather, and know that people are going to not be laughing at you.”

Kravitz and Ackie didn’t know each other before the director hired the actor to work on the film. But they became fast friends after bonding on a Zoom call. The London-based Ackie then came to New York, where she and Kravitz hit the town. 

“I have videos of us dancing in the street, eating tacos, drinking tequila,” says Kravitz, who recalls taking a walk to a bodega with Ackie. “All of a sudden, [she’s] behind the bodega counter. We had a really fun night. And I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be good.’”

Blink Twice is in theaters Friday, Aug. 23.

For more on Zoë Kravitz and Naomi Ackie, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE.