Zoë Kravitz Calls Out 'Click Bait Journalism'

After comments that she allegedly made to The Guardian went viral recently, the actress took to Instagram to explain what really happened — making it clear that there was a breakdown in communication and she wasn’t throwing any shade at the movie’s team.

@ZoeKravitz put out an official statement on her Instagram for the "too urban" headline and the click bait articles bout that #Catwoman #batman #TheBatman #ZoeKravitz pic.twitter.com/9F64B2Flbg
— TJ kiszka (@HellblazerArts) March 8, 2022

In her conversation with The Guardian, Kravitz explained that casting discrimination was a potential factor when she auditioned for the role of Catwoman in 2012 for The Dark Knight Rises.

“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 allegedly said.

But it seems, press pickup may have taken those comments out of context, fanning flames online and Kravitz quickly jumped in on her own platform to clarify these oversimplifications.

“I was NOT told I was too urban to play Catwoman in the ‘Dark Knight [Rises]’,” she wrote. “It would have made NO sense for me to even be considered for that role at that time. I wanted to AUDITION for a small part in the film and was told (I do not know who said this but this was how it was worded to me) that they were not going ‘urban’ on the part. This is something I heard a lot 10 years ago — it was a very different time.”

“I did not mention this to point any fingers or make anyone seem racist, namely Chris Nolan, the film’s producers or anyone on the casting team, because I truly do not believe anyone meant any harm,” she continued. “This was many years ago when words like that were thrown around very casually and although I’m very glad that we are attempting to evolve — let’s all calm down — as well as fact check before we write things that are untrue.”

While Kravitz said it'd have made no sense for her to be considered for the role back in 2012, we're thankful she finally got the chance to grace our screens as Catwoman in the DC Comics franchise's interpretation nearly 10 years later. The film’s almost universally received critical acclaim for its dark take on the iconic caped crusader — and Kravitz’s compelling performance.

Photo via Getty/ Dimitrios Kambouris