Not only is she the daughter of multi-instrumentalist musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, but Zoe Kravitz is also a seasoned actor herself, with roles in over 60 feature films and TV series, including X-Men: First Class, Big Little Lies and High Fidelity, and is touted as "an actor of effortless cool", as mentioned in The Guardian.
Kravitz caused a buzz in December 2021 after the trailer dropped for DC's upcoming movie The Batman, in which she stars as Catwoman to Robert Pattinson's titular character. The movie is slated for release at the beginning of March and audiences are on pins to see Kravitz's portrayal of fan-favorite Selina Kyle. From Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse to Mad Max: Fury Road, these films are essential viewing for Kravitz fans.
Divergent - 6.6
The dystopian sci-fi movie Divergent stars Kravitz as Christina, who makes friends with Tris after they are both initiated into one of their society's five factions, Dauntless.
Although critics commended the performances of the actors, Rolling Stone critic, Peter Travers, echoed others by calling the film "bland and lifeless," with Kravitz's character Christina blending into the background with the other supporting characters. Unfortunately, the first installment of this trilogy was the best of the lot, with the latter two coming in at 5.7 and 6.2, respectively.
The Brave One - 6.7
Kravitz plays Chloe in this 2007 psychological thriller about radio host-turned-vigilante, Erica Bain (Jodie Foster). Chloe appears in a short scene where Bain rescues her from a car where she's being held captive, and although this was only Kravitz's second role in a feature film and a brief one, her portrayal of a vulnerable young woman is memorable.
The film turned out to be polarizing, with some critics heaping praise upon the actor's performances and some, such as Stella Papamichael for BBC, opposing its' "silly" and "morally suspect" ending.
The Road Within - 7.1
In this very personal role, Kravitz plays Marie, a young woman with anorexia. The film follows a young man (Robert Sheehan) with Tourette's syndrome who, accompanied by Marie and his roommate Alex, goes on a road trip to deliver his mother's ashes to the ocean.
Kravitz spoke to Nylon magazine about how she "tapped into her own struggles with anorexia" in order to prepare for the role. Unfortunately, critics were unhappy with the films' attempt to destigmatize mental health disorders. Slant magazine was disappointed by Marie's existence as only "an object of romantic competition for her male counterparts."
It's Kind Of A Funny Story - 7.1
Kravitz stars in the 2010 movie It's Kind Of A Funny Story, where she portrays the main character Craig's crush - also his best friend's girlfriend. Craig admits himself to a mental health ward and the film chronicles his week-long experience there.
Kravitz commented to Interview Magazine that it was "flattering" to be cast as the "untouchable" Nia. Critics were divided on the movie, with The Guardian only granting it a 1/5, calling it "sickly" and "implausible," but the talented actors were universally praised.
Dope - 7.2
The 2015 coming-of-age film, Dope, sees Kravitz in the role of Nakia. The movie is about the "geek" Malcolm and his two friends who find themselves on an unexpected adventure. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015 and was praised for its action sequences, comedy and sensitivity.
Odie Henderson for Roger Ebert commented on Kravitz's "flawless impersonation of her mother, Lisa Bonet" but took issue with Dope's tendency to "pander" and the "decision to climb up on a soapbox" in the latter half of the film. This was a small role for Kravitz but impactful, nonetheless.
The LEGO Batman Movie - 7.3
Kravitz lent her voice as Catwoman in 2017's The LEGO Batman Movie, a villain role in which she is perfectly cast and surely helped prepare her for her role in the upcoming live-action movie, The Batman.
Although LEGO Batman is commended for its sense of fun and self-aware comedy, James Berardinelli for Reelviews complained about the movie's "over-the-top" and "completely nonsensical" plot.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them - 7.3
The 2016 Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them features Kravitz in the role of Leta Lestrange. The Guardian called the movie a "highly entertaining twist on jazz age America" and praised the new cast.
Kravitz spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her character's experience as a social outcast and complicated relationship with Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander. She returned in 2018 to continue her portrayal of the powerful Leta in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
X-Men: First Class - 7.7
The first of two X-Men movies Kravitz starred in, First Class marked her big break into blockbuster movies. She plays go-go dancer Angel Salvadore who is able to fly with insect-like wings and starts out working with the strong Marvel X-Men, only to turn on them and join Hellfire, their enemies.
The movie is known for its extreme violence and action sequences, and Dan Jolin for Empire comments on the "raunchy/cheeky moment" between Lehnsherr, Xavier and Kravitz's Angel. Some felt that the downsides of the movie include that it has too many characters and some plot holes, but this is a big first movie for Kravitz.
Mad Max: Fury Road - 8.1
The 2015 apocalyptic action film Mad Max: Fury Road features Kravitz as feisty Toast the Knowing, one of the Five Wives of Immortan Joe. The Five Wives serve as a "testament to female resilience" in the movie, according to Anthony Lane of The New Yorker, and Kravitz's Toast is the most tenacious of the lot.
Critics speak extremely highly of the movie, but especially its action stunts and high emotional stakes. Kravitz herself later said that the film was "one of the hardest things [she had] ever done in [her] life," as reported by Film News - and it looks like it paid off.
Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse - 8.4
Kravitz provided the voice of Mary-Jane in the 2018 Oscar-Winning animated movie, Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse. Christy Lemire writing for Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5/4 stars, calling it a "pure blast of creative joy" and praised the "tremendous cast of [the] voice actors."
Other reviewers, namely Charles Pulliam-Moore for Gizmodo, commented on Kravitz's voice's "eerie" similarity to Kirsten Dunst's. The nods to the original Spider-Man movies, as well as its quirky spin on the characters, make this the perfect spin-off.