The Batman has some terrific portrayals of iconic comic book characters, one being Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. While the actress's talents seem like a no-brainer to include in the film, another Batman film didn't feel the same way. Kravitz has now opened up about how she attempted to audition for 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, but was eventually told she was too 'urban'.
From Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt to Michelle Pfeiffer and Anne Hathaway, the character of Catwoman has seen some tremendous talents fill the role in previous Batman projects. While it is unclear whether Kravitz wanted to audition for the Catwoman role in The Dark Knight Rises, the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's acclaimed The Dark Knight trilogy, she has no doubt proved herself more than worthy to take over the mantle of the anti-heroine.
While discussing her career success and her most recent release, The Batman, Kravitz shared the time was told she was too 'urban' to audition for The Dark Knight Rises. "I don’t know if it came directly from Chris Nolan. I think it was probably a casting director of some kind, or a casting director’s assistant…," the star told The Guardian, who is of Black and Jewish descent. "Being a woman of color and being an actor and being told at that time that I wasn’t able to read because of the color of my skin, and the word urban being thrown around like that, that was what was really hard about that moment," she added.
Kravitz credited her parents Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet for helping her respond to past casting racism, believing that the two broke "down boundaries in a lot of ways." Kravitz continued, "They both dealt with being artists who didn’t act or dress or look or sound the way a Black person was supposed to act in terms of what white people specifically were comfortable with."
Now starring what will likely end up being one of the biggest films of the year, as it has already reached roughly $130M at the domestic box office, Kravitz has brought something unique to the role of Catwoman, as the actress strived to create a three-dimensional character who doesn't feel like a stereotype. As this is an origin story for the character, Kravitz believes that the remaining sequels will continue exploring much of Selina's / Catwoman's psyche as she gradually grows into the femme fatale that many fans know.
On top of its box office success, The Batman is being hailed as one of the best Batman films to date. Following Bruce Wayne / Batman (Robert Pattinson) in his second year of fighting crime, the neo-noir film heavily focuses on the detective aspect of the caped crusader, as he tries to hunt down a new serial killer known as the Riddler. Other than Pattinson and Kravitz in the lead roles, the film also stars Paul Dano as the Riddler, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Peter Sarsgaard as district attorney Gil Colson. In addition to the two planned sequels, two other spin-off series for HBO Max are in early development.
The Batman is now playing in theaters and will be available to stream on HBO Max on April 19.
Source: The Guardian