Zoë Kravitz has some regrets about her childhood.
The actress-turned-director recently sat down with Esquire for an exclusive interview to discuss her life and burgeoning career as a filmmaker. During her candid sit down, the 35-year-old star expressed some regret about leaving her superstar mother, Lisa Bonet, to live with her father, legendary rock star Lenny Kravitz, at the age of 11.
Zoë moved to Miami with her father shortly after his separation from Lisa in 1991. Lenny and Lisa married in November 1987 and welcomed their daughter Zoë in December 1988, People noted. They separated in 1991 and finalized their divorce in 1993.
Zoë’s move was partly motivated by her desire to escape her mother’s stricter household rules.
“It was this whirlwind of a completely different universe,” she said of her father’s fast-paced lifestyle. Lenny’s career exploded around the time she moved in. She got to see her dad living life to the fullest and the demands of his busy touring schedule.
Source: Vinnie Zuffante / Getty
The “wonderful” yet “overwhelming” career of Lenny also trickled into Zoë’s upbringing. As a young teen, she spent her time shopping, watching loads of TV and doing anything she wanted. It wasn’t that her dad “didn’t care” about her, according to Zoë. “He just cared about different things.”
Zoë had a hard time fitting in while living in Miami.
However, outside of the house, she struggled to fit in, finding it hard to make friends due to her mixed heritage as a half Black and half Jewish individual. Enrolled in prestigious private schools that were predominantly white, Zoë’ often felt out of place in Miami. “People were confused,” she told Esquire. “How are you Jewish if you’re Black? If both of your parents are Black, how are you half white?”
At one point, Zoë tried to “minimize her own Blackness” hoping that it would help her to find friends.
“It’s a lot of like, ‘No, no, no, I’m also white! I’m cool like you guys!’ ”she said of the tough experience. “‘Your hair doesn’t look wet when you come out of the pool—that’s weird.’”
Reflecting on her time in Miami, the Batman actress admitted that moving in with her father felt “very hurtful” to her mother. She thinks Lisa’s tough love approach may have instilled the resilience needed to navigate her feelings of being out of place and to handle life’s ups and downs more effectively.
“My dad wasn’t even there,” she admitted. “I just wish I had been able to appreciate what she was doing for me. She was so focused on preserving my innocence. My creativity. Because she knew what the world is—that you don’t get that back.”
Zoe Kravitz, Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet. Source: WWD / Getty
She’s making her directorial debut soon.
Following in the footsteps of her parents, Zoë is forging her own path in the entertainment industry as a filmmaker with her directorial debut, Blink Twice. The film stars her fiancé, Channing Tatum, alongside Naomi Ackie of Master of None and other talented actors. Set to premiere on Aug. 23, the film entices with its classic setup: a secluded retreat that soon descends into unsettling territory.
What begins as a sleek, social thriller quickly transforms into a more sinister and unpredictable narrative. The plot revolves around Frida (Ackie), a cocktail server who captures the attention of the fallen tech mogul Slater King (Tatum) at a lavish gala. Though Slater appears reformed and charming, he invites Frida and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) to his private island. What seems like a glamorous getaway rapidly spirals into a dark and disturbing experience.
During a 2022 interview with Elle magazine, Zoë revealed that she had to write the script for the film “a million times” to get the perfect storyline.
“I started writing it pre — #MeToo, pre — Harvey [Weinstein]. Then the world started to have the conversation, so [the script] changed a lot,” the star explained. “It became more about a power struggle and what that power struggle means. I rewrote it a million times. Now we’re like, ‘Holy sh*t. We’re doing this!’”
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