There is plenty of intensity in Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing, as the protagonist in the story finds himself unwittingly caught in the middle of a dangerous conflict including cops, criminals, and a missing stash of $3 million in cash – but there is also plenty of fun as well (a terrific change from the norm for Aronofsky, as I note in my CinemaBlend review of the new film). In addition to featuring slick action and clever dialogue, the 2025 movie also features some tremendous on-screen chemistry between stars Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz, and that's perfectly exemplified in a bedroom scene where they race to see which of them can strip down first.
It's not only a great bit in the movie, as CinemaBlend's own Hannah Saulic recently found out during the Los Angeles press day for Caught Stealing that it inspired some healthy competition between the actors. "Winning" isn't actually a big deal for the characters Yvonne and Hank, but Kravitz and Butler both made a sincere effort to out-strip the other on set. As captured in the video above, they had a great back and forth together about it during the junket:
- Zoë Kravitz: I feel like it was genuinely competitive.
- Austin Butler: It was very competitive.
- Zoë Kravitz: Yeah. Yeah.
- Austin Butler: I also was holding a beer and I had a hat.
- Zoë Kravitz: Oh my God. I had a cigarette, I had a lit cigarette.
- Austin Butler: You’re splitting hairs here.
- Zoë Kravitz: Shirt over the head. Lit cigarette.
- Austin Butler: Yeah, that was pretty impressive. Did you keep it in your mouth? How’d you do that?
- Zoë Kravitz: Yes.
- Austin Butler: You kept it in your mouth when you took the shirt off?
- Zoë Kravitz: Yes, doggy. Yes!
- Austin Butler: Wow. That's impressive. That’s very impressive.
I love that even months after production wrapped, they are still debating the race and deciding which of them had the biggest handicap as they worked to remove their clothes. Having seen Caught Stealing this week, I can confirm that they both recount the scene well, as Austin Butler had to contend with holding a beer and wearing a hat while Zoë Kravitz had the challenge of handing a lit cigarette.
In the finished film, it's worth noting that there isn't any real debate between the characters about who manages to take off their clothes the fastest (instead, the impromptu race is more of a lead in to the characters having sex). But just because Yvonne and Hank weren't making that a focus doesn't mean that the stars weren't paying attention:
- Austin Butler: She didn't win all the time. I sort of let her win on the…
- Zoë Kravitz: Well, it was…no, it wasn’t scripted who won.
- Austin Butler: Was it not scripted that way?
- Zoë Kravitz: I don’t think it said who won. It was a genuine, yeah.
- Austin Butler: Yeah. But it was a competition as you can see… because we’re still debating about it.
While the editing and the performances leave it up to the viewer who wins the race, you'll be able to make a judgement call of your own when Caught Stealing arrives in theaters this Friday, August 29.
