$60 Million Global Hit: ’90s Thriller Wanted to Rival ‘Seven’—Star Finds It “Traumatic” 30 Years Later

Ashley Judd is reevaluating one of her early box office successes. In a recent video posted on Instagram (via Variety), she discusses how her perception of her crime thriller “Kiss the Girls” (1997) has “evolved” over the years, particularly due to the portrayal of violence against women in the film.

“’Kiss the Girls’ focuses on male sexual violence and the torture of women’s bodies,” she noted in her caption. “Back then, such stories were often approached from the angle of female resilience, the strength to survive. Many people still say that’s how the film speaks to them. But now I ask another question: Why is sexual terror against women presented as entertainment? Why is it profitable?”

A Problematic Thriller?

“Kiss the Girls”, directed by Gary Fleder, is an adaptation of the 1995 James Patterson novel. Morgan Freeman stars as forensic psychologist Alex Cross, while Judd plays a doctor and kickboxer abducted by a masked serial killer known as Casanova.

“Thank you for loving the film, for loving me in it,” Ashley Judd told her fans in the video accompanying her post. “Thanks for making it such a… I was going to say important moment, but I’d even call it a turning point in my career.”

“I want to address the film from a perspective that has become clearer to me over the years, and I invite you to think about it for yourself. It’s perfectly okay to love this film and to tell me it’s your favorite,” the actress continued, stressing the question of “why filming male sexual violence” and “the torture of the female body” is considered entertaining. She also stated that the film contains “very misogynistic” dialogue, which is “absolutely unacceptable.”

Reflecting on Resilience and Entertainment

“It’s about resilience after male sexual violence. It’s about resilience after sexual torture inflicted on a woman’s body by men, and I wonder… why is that entertainment? Why is it a capitalist enterprise? Why do we create entertainment and make money off such a topic?” pondered Ashley Judd. “So we value the resilience of my character in the film, but we don’t necessarily seek to understand, analyze, or take a step back on why the film talks about trauma, and it is traumatizing… For me, that’s not entertainment. It’s collective denial… and it’s making entertainment out of sexual terror.”

“Kiss the Girls” was a commercial success for Paramount Pictures in 1997, earning $60 million worldwide on a budget of just under $30 million. Morgan Freeman reprised his role as Alex Cross in the 2001 sequel, “Along Came a Spider,” which was even more successful at the box office, grossing $105 million worldwide.

“Kiss the Girls” is available on Paramount+, as well as on VOD.

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