Zoe Kravitz talks about her role as Catwoman in “The Batman” and why Robert Pattinson was ultimately the “perfect” casting in the lead role…
Zoe Kravitz is anxious to get back to work.
The 31-year-old actress was just a couple of weeks into filming on “The Batman” when the the entire production got shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since that time, Kravitz relaxed in London and then returned home to the United States while waiting on word when filming could begin again.
While she admits there is apprehension about productions restarting because of COVID-19 — where it’s almost impossible for actors to engage in any type of social distancing — she’s definitely excited to jump back into her role as Selena Kyle.
After being cast in the role opposite Robert Pattinson, who will play Batman/Bruce Wayne, Kravitz said the reaction was immediate and almost overwhelming, which let her know exactly the size and magnitude of a part like this.
“It’s cool, man. It’s cool,” Kravitz told Variety about playing Catwoman. “I can’t say it wasn’t cool, but I’ve been really trying to not think too much about just what that character means to everybody else. Just because it can be distracting in the wrong way, especially when you’re trying to become someone else.
“When the announcement came out that I had gotten this role, my phone rang more than it has ever. More than my birthday, more than my wedding, more than anything. So I felt that immediate pressure. The script is phenomenal. The story’s really strong. I feel very clear on who Selena is and what she wants, and I’m trying to stay more focused on that.”
When it comes to her counterpart, Kravitz believes that Pattinson will ultimately become a great Batman not only because he’s a phenomenal actor in his own right but he also brings a lot of elements to the part that should help define the role. Pattinson will become the third actor to play Batman in the past decade after Christian Bale portrayed the character in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy while Ben Affleck became the Caped Crusader for several films including “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
“First of all, he’s just a really good actor,” Kravitz said about Pattinson. “He started out as this kind of teen pop sensation, and then I think we all kind of saw through his work that there was a lot more going on. He’s a really interesting artist, and that is very much Batman in a way. We have the illusion of Bruce Wayne, and then we have Batman in the shadows that has a lot more complicated things going on. So just in that, I think he’s perfect for this role. He can relate in that way, and he looks good in the suit, man. He looks good in the suit. That’s a good jaw line.
“But he’s just a great actor and he brings so much to everything he does. I think that it’s a really hard role because people are expecting a lot. Also it’s restricting in a lot of ways. You’re wearing the suit, and you can’t see their eyes, and you can only move in a certain way. So you have to get really creative in terms of how can you portray a multidimensional character? He’s way up for the challenge and has really interesting ideas already. I think he’s perfect, perfect casting.”
While “The Batman” will almost certainly take up most of her time in the near future, Kravitz also received rave reviews earlier this year for her lead role in the Hulu show “High Fidelity,” which re-imagined the original book and movie for a 10 episode TV series. Kravitz played Rob Brooks — a gender flipped version of the original character who John Cusack played in the “High Fidelity” movie.
The show has been a critical hit for Hulu with Kravitz being mentioned as a possible Emmy Award contender but as of now, there’s still been no word on whether or not “High Fidelity” will return for season 2. Kravitz says at this time, Hulu hasn’t made any decisions but she’s certainly on board to return with plenty more story to tell.
“We haven’t been told,” Kravitz said about season 2. “I would love to. I think the show has a lot of potential. I think there’s a lot more growing to do for everybody and a lot more trouble to get into. There’s a lot of places we could go and I would love to go there.”
“High Fidelity” is available on Hulu now and Kravitz will return to filming on “The Batman” soon with that movie slated for release on October 1, 2021.
