Ms .45 is generally considered Zoë's first film. But she did appear as an extra in the 1979 film "Times Square." I've never seen this film, but she is visible in a street scene.

Abel Ferrara had nearly given up looking for a female lead for Ms .45. When 17-year-old Zoë appeared at his door, his first reaction was "This is HER". He didn't know it at the time, but the fact that she had been raped a year earlier by her Russian professor at Mt. Holyoke College (and never reported it) no doubt enhanced her performance, providing an outlet for her suppressed rage in the character of Thana.

When Ms .45 was screened in various theaters, Zoë would make frequent live appearances and address the audience (see photo outside L.A.'s NUART theater). Zoë and her collaborator/mate Edouard De Laurot would travel in his mobile home with "Ms.45" banners covering the exterior.

Zoë constructed an "Official Ms .45 Doll" at some point, presumably a potential merchandising idea.