Zoe Kravitz: Directors still think ‘the black girl needs to be married to the black guy’

SFFILM Festival opening night: 'Landline' - Arrivals

Zoe Kravitz has a bunch of new interviews to promote her role in Rough Night, the raunchy girl comedy about a bunch of friends who go wild in Miami for a bachelorette party. Zoe covered the most recent issue of The Edit too, although the interview was pretty boring. That’s not a knock on Zoe – I think Zoe is interesting, but she’s gotten used to talking about herself and she comes across as very sanitized and press-friendly these days. Some highlights from The Edit:

Doing a raunchy girl comedy: “I think it’s good to see women behaving like that. We don’t just sit at home doing our makeup and waiting for the boys to come home – we go hard ourselves sometimes.”

Whether her race still comes up in casting decisions: “I’m sure it would still happen now. When my name is brought up in a casting office, I’m sure the fact that I’m black comes up in discussions. I just read a script in which there were two couples, and one was written as black. When I talked to the directors, they said I should play the wife of the black guy. It’s insane that they still think the black girl needs to be married to the black guy, and everyone else is white. Their thinking is so compartmentalized.”

On boyfriend Karl Glusman: “We’re happy, he’s wonderful,” she grins. They met through mutual friends at a bar one night. “And that was it, done. We just never separated.”

Her half-siblings: She also finds time to record and perform with her band, Lolawolf. The name is a conjugation of her two younger half-siblings’ names, Lola, 9, and Wolf, 8 – her mother’s children with her stepfather, Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa. “I always wanted siblings, and I’m totally obsessed with them,” she beams. “But I still have only-child syndrome. I’m bossy.”

[From The Edit]

That’s sweet that she met Karl through friends and they’ve never been apart since. I enjoy love stories like that. Let’s see, what else did she say in other interviews? She was asked about the beef between Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy during Mad Max: Fury Road, and she confirmed that they hated each other: “Yeah. They didn’t get along. We were also in the desert for so long I think everyone was tired and confused and homesick and we saw nothing but sand for six months. You go crazy, you do. I don’t know if there was one issue, I just think they weren’t vibing. It was like summer camp. At some point everybody has some kind of issue with somebody.”

Zoe also confirmed to Andy Cohen that she maybe-probably fooled around with Drake at some point. She said, “We hung out for a minute. But we are very good friends. You know. We hung out a little bi. You know, it’s like how I hang out, I don’t know how you hang out.” Didn’t we know that already? It was widely rumored several years ago that Drake and Zoe had some kind of brief fling. He really gets around.

New York Premiere of "ROUGH NIGHT"

Cover courtesy of The Edit, additional photos courtesy of WENN.

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32 Responses to “Zoe Kravitz: Directors still think ‘the black girl needs to be married to the black guy’”

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  1. Steve says:

    Love her!

    • INeedANap says:

      I’m a fan too. She seems sweet and thoughtful, and very self-aware. Like someone you kvetch over whiskey with.

  2. Radley says:

    She’s cute and I like her. I like her parents too. I don’t even mind the head start she got in showbiz thanks to her parents. She doesn’t seem to abuse it. She works and lays low. She was raised right, it seems.

  3. Beth says:

    I 100% agree with her. There’s no reason for a black woman to only be with a black guy. Her dad’s parents were a black and white couple.
    She is absolutely beautiful. Both of her parents are beautiful people, so she has good genes. Her father is the most beautifully sexy person in the world! He drives me crazy with his looks

  4. Jess says:

    Shes pretty and chic but also a mediocre actress. If she was dark skin and had a different last name she wouldn’t have a career.

  5. QQ says:

    I Love love love her, love seeing her, love her fashions, love everything she says, Her hair, how unbothered she is, HER MUSIC OMG i REALLY SINCERELY like her music so Much, she actually made me listen to a Miley Cyrus collab behind Loving her music. Now re: Dating, i Relate HOARD People, especially White people Love love love to put us in Boxes, this goes on for things like dating ( The Guys always surprised to find “They aren’t the first ___” guy I dated, or how I Legit had a Man Client come to me and say and I quote: I hope one day you find your Tall Dark and Handsome Prince… and then kept qualifying it, right?, cut to then when I was with my BF he really losing all his Sh*t in surprise that “you Date White Guys???” I said Yup and Arab, Asian, Brown Tan, As long as they are Tall and bold and smart enough to ride the ride and all their parts work, These hands are rated E for Everyone!)

    But make no mistake, that Microaggresive sh*tty expectation totally bleeds into other things, take hair and how how if we have X Hair ( something which is very prevalent cause Black Women???: Good For Giving versatile different looks, right?? I Lose count of how many times I’ve gotten stopped after a drastic hair change by White men and Women Damned near tripping to demand why is it this way and Do I now look like X black woman that looks nothing like me except that “her general hair vibe might be passingly similar to mine” I’ve gotten Halle Berry, Janet, kelis and All those women and I have in common is “we’re Black” “You know us” but we look zero alike

    • slowsnow says:

      Goddammit QQ “Tall Dark and Handsome Prince… “??? Say what? Lots of male lust thrown at you but no balls to go all the way it seems. Makes me think of the rich kids in my rich school who would not go out with me (teacher’s daughter) but would still say they fancied me or that so and so liked me. Involved in my love life but not daring to come near… Well too bad for those loosers.

    • I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
      *in Katt Williams voice* So I’m gonna do a little of both.

      I am not only in an interracial marriage but I’m an interracial romance author. I’ve seen and heard. It. All. From restaurant hostesses pretending they didn’t see my husband and I walk in together and asking us both how many are in our party to interviewers asking me why my novels don’t follow the current “urban” trend. I explain that my black heroines are accessible, actualized, educated and self-aware and those are the stories I have to tell and it’s like a record scratch. Ugh. And I get more foolishness from white men than black men when I’m out with my husband. They become quite over-friendly and suggestive, especially if hubby has to go to the men’s room or something. It doesn’t occur to them that I married someone amazing who just happens to be white – they just think my white guy light is on. Ugh. God, I could write a book lol.

      • QQ says:

        OH SIS.. WHEN THEY ONLY ADDRESS ONE OF YOU IN PUBLIC!!!??!?!? Oh.. GIRL!!

      • *waves church fan*
        At doctor’s appointments (to him)
        Has she been taking her vitamin D?
        At restaurants
        And what will you be having, sir?
        At cocktail parties (to him)
        And where have you travelled?
        At dinner parties (to him)
        And where did you two meet?
        At galleries (to him)
        Are you a Pollack fan?

        100% actual quotes.

    • Olenna says:

      “These hands are rated E for Everyone!” Love it!

    • hannah89 says:

      QQ – honestly, you are the best commentator on this site. I LOVE READING EVERYTHING YOU WRITE lol

  6. slowsnow says:

    I know this is a promotion for another film about and with women but I am still kind of mad about another thing she was in: Big Little Lies.
    It was such a missed opportunity. Too long and even then the series spent a lot of time looking for a proper voice. And speaking of voices, the “witnesses” speaking all throughout the episodes, blurting out what people think are clichés about women and couples was just painful.
    But Zoe was fantastic although I don’t think she’s got a lot of range.

  7. Lucytunes says:

    While her new beau is gorgeous and they seem happy and all, I really need her and Michael B. Jordan to quit playing around it get together (forever) already.

    On second thought, that may be too much for me to handle…Lenny AND Michael in family photos…too much.

  8. third ginger says:

    Sorry to be trivial. This is one of the cutest haircuts I have ever seen.

    • I’ll be trivial with you and say I think she’s one of the most beautiful actresses around!

    • Beth says:

      Plenty of women wouldn’t look good with this haircut. I would look ridiculous. She’s absolutely gorgeous no matter how her hair is

      • deevia says:

        It feels like she (and Halley Berry, Audrey Hepburn, Mia Farrow) NEEDS short do cuz they seem boring / less cute without it. A reverse effect from average women with their long hair.

  9. blogdis says:

    And Hollywood also thinks that the black guy should be married to the White. Asain , Hispanic or racially ambiguous brown paper bag passing girl which is where you fit in so there is always that

  10. DiamondDemi says:

    Idk…I’m a black woman and I like seeing images of black love. Black people loving each other, capable of being in functional relationships.

    It’s not that I think interracial relationships are bad. I don’t.

    Love is love is love.

    But, stereotypes often depict black women as harsh, or angry, single parents, nagging their men away, white women as better wives and mothers, or black men as unavailable sexual maniacs who can’t be with one woman. I don’t want to offend; I’m just expressing an opinion.

    • Patty says:

      Thank you! I agree. There is nothing wrong with interracial relationships but let’s be real, those are being pushed real hard right now.

      Most people still date and marry within their “group” so there’s nothing wrong with showing a loving Black couple, or living Asian couple.

    • Honey says:

      I’m also a black woman. After my father died, my mother later ended up marrying a white man. Our family is happy no matter what color. I’m married to a black guy, but see nothing wrong with interracial relationships. Love is love. People shouldn’t be closed minded about having to only be with someone who’s their color. Not everyone’s soul mate is in the same race as they are. Love is love

      • blogdis says:

        @ honey
        I m sorry but is your comment supposed to be in response to what either Diamond or Patti wrote they both affirmed that love is love ,and that they Have no problem with interracial love so what exactly is your point?
        You basically waded in here to give them a lecture that they don’t need based on something they didn’t say ?

        What they did say is that they also like to see black love reaffirmed onscreen which is something I can also relate to cuz I don’t know what movies or tv shows Zoe has been watching but with rare exception the narrative I see being pushed is that black peoples love lives are only worthy or of interest when partnered with a non black person even in the commercials and when the couple is black the woman must be at least biracial of racially ambiguous
        Any hoo

    • FUBAR says:

      Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! i don’t think we see enough of Black men loving black women. no disrespect to mixed couples but I love seeing when Black men love them some Black women

  11. serena says:

    I hate the cover (and her hair), anyway I like Zoe and think she’s interesting.. but I’m still waiting to see her get a juicy role that shows her acting skills.

  12. ValM99 says:

    I find it refreshing to see black couples on movie screens. So many times I feel like Hollywood doesn’t like to show strong black couples. Like their either divorced or etc. I don’t mind seeing interracial couples either bc love is love. But with Halle Berry, Zoë Kravitz, Nicole Beharie, Priyanka Chopra, Jennifer Lopez, Lucy Lui, Maggie Q, Sofia Vegara- I feel woc nowadays are always paired with white men. Not even other races like just white men. Especially those actresses as if their too pretty to be with a man the same race as them. So I agree then disagree with Zoë on that statement.

    • Ayra. says:

      I agree entirely. The black couple is always the one with the most issues, whether it be cheating or divorced ect..
      If anything, we see more interracial couples nowadays on tv than anything.

  13. Hikaru says:

    There is nothing revolutionary about showing straight white men involved in IR relationships, they have always had the right to own (both romantically, sexually and quite literally) women of all races. She could have asked for an Asian man or a Native American actor to be cast alongside her, that would have made a difference if diversity is what she cares about.

  14. Wileythescreenwriter says:

    Or Zoe, you can decline the job and another biracial / black actress can take it.

    Also cute hair color and style.