The Transformation Of Zoe Kravitz From Childhood To The Batman
As the daughter of actor Lisa Bonet and musician Lenny Kravitz, and a grandchild of Roxie Roker, who starred on "The Jeffersons" (via Biography), you could argue that Zoë Kravitz was born for show business. However, there was no pressure on her to become a star either, and even as a child, she would voluntarily put on performances for her grandparents (via Elle). She knew she had privilege on her side, but her passion for acting "had nothing to do with who [her] family was. It was because [she] loved it."
Her innate charisma and steely presence on-screen have also helped her advance her career in the past several years. She's now co-starred in several blockbusters, anchored her own Hulu series, and stole the screen from several star actors in HBO's "Big Little Lies." Now she's the female lead in the upcoming Batman movie. Here's how Zoë Kravitz went from Hollywood royalty to starring as the legendary Catwoman in "The Batman."
Her debut was as a goth babysitter in No Reservations
Zoë Kravitz's parents split up when she was only 2, and she grew up in her mother's Topanga Canyon home before moving in with her dad at age 11. The acting bug obviously caught on early, and her father helped her find an agent when she was only 15. However, Kravitz also wanted to work hard: "My mom would have killed me if I'd assumed any kind of privilege" (via Teen Vogue). Her first official role was in the 2007 romantic dramedy "No Reservations," in a small part as a teenage goth babysitter. Kravitz's career would only escalate from there, even when she encountered racism and prejudice within the system, such as being told she couldn't be in "The Dark Knight Rises" because they weren't "going urban" (via The New York Times).
The actor was featured in several small or supporting roles on film and television from there, including "The Brave One," "It's Kind of a Funny Story," and a multi-episode arc on Showtime series "Californication" in 2011. However, it was her role in a popular superhero franchise that would signal Kravitz's eventual stardom.
Kravitz played a mutant dancer in X-Men and was in the Divergent films
Zoë Kravitz's most visible role to date was in 2011's superhero prequel "X-Men: First Class," where she played Angel Salvadore, aka Tempest, a mutant and dancer with the abilities of a dragonfly, including wings. The actor had to do stunts in a major blockbuster for the first time, commenting to IGN about how her wire work was "the closest [she]'ll ever get to flying."
Her next roles weren't found until 2013's "Treading Water" (also known as "The Boy Who Smells Like Fish") and "After Earth," quite possibly because she refused to settle for the supporting roles women of color are often expected to play in popular culture. Kravitz vowed to Teen Vogue, "I'm not going to spend the rest of my life playing some girl's friend or some girl on crack in the projects." Nevertheless, in 2014, she was featured in the "Divergent" films as Christina, Tris' (Shailene Woodley) friend and another member of the Dauntless faction. Kravitz then appeared in each movie in the series until "Allegiant" flopped in 2016 (via TheWrap), ending the YA franchise in ignominy.
Luckily, by the time "Allegiant" was a box office disaster, Zoë Kravitz had already appeared in an exciting new indie comedy and arguably one of the greatest action films of all time.
Mad Max: Fury Road features Kravitz as a war bride
Zoë Kravitz only played a small part in 2015's "Dope" as Nakia, Malcolm's (Shameik Moore) neighborhood crush, receiving positive notice for her screen presence even if it was increasingly clear that the actor was worthy of larger roles (via Chicago Tribune).
"Mad Max: Fury Road" placed her in an ensemble cast as well, but as it turned out, when she signed on to play Toast the Knowing, one of warlord Immortan Joe's (Hugh Keays-Byrne) wives who is rescued by Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), the audacious blockbuster was actually interested in making the traumatized brides feel like real human beings. Kravitz commented about how the actors and director George Miller "wanted these women to be actual people" (via Vibe).
The shoot was famously torturous, and Kravitz and the crew ended up in the desert for nine months (via The New York Times). But the end result has been rightly called "the best action movie ever made" by the A.V. Club in part because "Fury Road" invests so much into the storytelling and characters. Kravitz, for one, had no regrets. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, but it was absolutely worth it, and I would do it again if George [Miller] asked me to," she told the New York Times.
Kravitz filmed two major TV shows
Although Zoë Kravitz had joined the new "Fantastic Beasts" franchise the year before as Leta Lestrange, she appeared only in a picture in the first film in the series, and her true breakout role was when she co-starred in the 2017 HBO drama "Big Little Lies," based on the Liane Moriarty novel of the same name. Kravitz plays Bonnie Carlson, one of the many privileged parents in Monterey, California. Married to Nathan (James Tupper), Madeline's (Reese Witherspoon) ex-husband, Bonnie's youth and confidence make Madeline jealous. The character isn't as prominent as Celeste (Nicole Kidman) or Jane (Shailene Woodley), but it was impossible not to notice Kravitz's cool, charismatic presence, and when push literally comes to shove, Bonnie proves instrumental to the climax of Season 1.
Her part in the two-season series likely helped her get a lead role, at long last, in 2020's television remake of "High Fidelity." Kravitz played a female version of John Cusack's lovelorn vinyl store owner, Rob Brooks, in the Hulu series. However, the service canceled "Fidelity" after one season, a decision Kravitz later told Elle was "a big mistake." "The [number] of letters, DMs, people on the street, and women [who] look like us—like, that love for the show, it meant something to people." Still, the cancelation hasn't stopped Kravitz from continuing to gain bigger and better parts.
In 2022, Kravitz stars in Kimi and The Batman
The actor definitely started the year off right by starring as the lead in "Kimi," auteur Steven Soderbergh's new cyber-thriller for HBO Max. Yet that isn't even her biggest role in 2022. Over a decade after being told she didn't belong in "The Dark Knight Rises," Zoë Kravitz will be playing the iconic Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, against Robert Pattinson's "The Batman" when the film opens in March.
Originally cast in late 2019 (via Variety), the actor had to exercise several hours a day even during the production. She told Elle, "I got stronger than I've ever been. That felt good, to see what I was capable of."
Kravitz is now stepping into an important role in the superhero world but has her eyes set on the future as well. She will direct, co-write, and produce "Pussy Island" for MGM after having worked on the script for years. Yet she also emphasized how she's trying to take things as they come: "That's the 20-year-old who's like, 'I can do it all. I can do it all. I can do it all.' And now I'm in a place where whatever I'm feeling is okay, wherever I'm at is okay."