The Untold Truth Of Zoe Kravitz
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Just a few short months after Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet eloped, the former Cosby Show actress discovered she was pregnant. In December 1988, Bonet gave birth to a beautiful baby girl whom she and her husband named Zoë. Although she said in an interview with Rolling Stone that her parents were certainly "not planning to have a baby" — Bonet threw her pregnancy test at her husband upon finding out — we're sure they've since come around.
Although Zoë Kravitz herself may have originally been known for having famous parents, especially her rocker dad, she went on to pave her own way and create a name for herself. If you only just got a taste of Zoë's talent in the HBO drama series' Big Little Lies in 2017, you should know that was far from her first successful role. Acting is also not the only career this star has chosen. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about this incredible woman.
Her childhood was as wild as you could imagine
When Zoë was a toddler, her parents decided to divorce and she went to live with her mom. However, it was not exactly the typical living situation. Rolling Stone described their community — Los Angeles' Topanga Canyon — as a "hippie-ish enclave." It was there that Bonet raised chickens and dogs — one of which was a wolf-hybrid. Bonet said she had a "one foot in and one foot out" relationship with Hollywood and although she never left the business, she did find sanctuary in her quiet and private life.
When Zoë was 11, she decided to live with her dad. "That was a massive change," she told the publication, "Going from this really quiet house in Topanga, just me and my mom, to my dad's life, which was very busy — lots of people, lots of assistants." Those "people" included the likes of Mick Jagger, Ashton Kutcher, and Nicole Kidman, who Zoë's father Lenny was engaged to for a time. Not your average upbringing, you could say.
Her stepdad is... Aquaman?
Although Zoë's father never settled down with anyone else after his divorce, Bonet found love again with an unlikely partner: Jason Momoa. Yes, Aquaman. Despite the 13 year age gap between them, Bonet says "love came and it came big" when they first met in 2004. Bonet gave him a ride home from a jazz club in L.A. and the actress told Net-a-Porter they've been together ever since. Three years after their fateful meeting, the couple welcomed their first child together, Lola. In 2008, Bonet gave birth to her third child — second with Momoa — Nakfa-Wolf.
It was thought that the stunning couple married between the births of their first and second child, but it seems Momoa only officially became Zoë's stepdad over a decade after his romance with her mom began. Despite Momoa's frequent references to Bonet as his "wife" in interviews, the couple did not legally marry until fall 2017, according to People. Regardless of when they earned their "official" status, the blended family has been getting along for a long time now. "It's fantastic. It's full-on family love," Bonet confirmed to Net-a-Porter.
She has a surprising bestie
Zoë is literally surrounded by star power. Now only does has an über famous stepfather, she also has a bestie who is no stranger to the limelight. More than a decade ago, Zoë starred in a music video for one of the most influential rappers of our time: Jay-Z. Zoë explained how she got the part in an interview with ASOS Magazine (via Hello Beautiful).
"I'd met Jay a few times, and then he asked me to be in his video for 'I Know.' After that we became really good friends and now he's one of my favorite people," she divulged to the magazine. Zoë acknowledged the peculiarity of her friendship with the artist, saying, "It sounds so weird when you say it because he's f***ing Jay-Z! But what's so weird is that he's such a cool guy that sometimes I wish he wasn't Jay-Z so we could hang out all day long and walk around and talk s*** because I love him." We hear that.
She's all about matching tattoos
Momoa took to Instagram in 2016 to share a photo of the tattoo he got while he was shooting Game of Thrones. The ink reads "etre toujours ivre" (translation: "always be drunk") and is likely a line from the 19th century poet Charles Baudelaire's poem "Be Drunk." Photos of Zoë confirm that she has the French script tattoo on her right forearm — the very same spot as Momoa's.
This is not the first time Zoë has gotten a matching tat. A profile of Zoë in Rolling Stone reported that both father and daughter have the Martin Luther King Jr. quote "Free at Last." Zoë and her godmother, who just so happens to be Marisa Tomei, also both have tattoos of eyes, an InStyle interview with the pair revealed. "It's a deep way to adorn yourself, and I think they're beautiful aesthetically," Zoë revealed to the publication. The website stealherstyle.net cataloged the number of times Zoë has been inked and came up with 55 separate tattoos. She definitely loves them!
Acting is not her only talent
Much like her father, who is able to bounce back and forth between music and acting, Zoë, too, is gifted in more ways than one. In 2011, Zoë and her three bandmates from the group Elevator Fight debuted their record "Post Empire." If you haven't listened to any of their music, it won't take much more than hearing a few riffs to recognize Zoë's vocal ability.
Although Elevator Fight eventually dissolved, Zoë founded an all new electronic R&B band, Lolawolf, and released an album in 2014. The band's name, which is a combination of her half-siblings' names, went on to see some very real success. In 2016, they performed at the renowned music festival Bonnaroo, and also began recording yet another album. Whether Zoë decides to stick with making music, acting, both, or neither, we don't doubt that success will follow.
She really is a badass
Zoë Kravitz, the heavily tattooed singer and actress, looks every bit the part of a tough chick. But, is it all a facade? Not likely. For one, the actress starred in Mad Max: Fury Road, which is considered by some to be the most dangerous movie ever made. And Zoë isn't one to shy away from taking part in the real action.
Zoë's costar Shailene Woodley revealed that she, Zoë, and Miles Teller were responsible for doing many of their own stunts in the filming of Divergent. In fact, it was during that time when Zoë experienced a gruesome injury. Ironically, the actress was actually hurt while taking her lunch break in Woodley's trailer on the last day of filming. "I'm sitting there and all of a sudden, I'm like, 'Hey! (makes crashing noise) And the door just slams closed on my face, and I just feel blood start coming down," she divulged to SheKnows. In the end, Zoë ended up needing eight stitches across her nose — and has the scar to prove it.
She used to be anti-Instagram
Instagram was launched in 2010, but it would take Zoë Kravitz a few years to embrace the platform. In March 2014, the Lolawolf front woman and actress revealed to SheKnows how she felt about social media at the time: "[It] freaks me out, man ... freaks me out." Like many of us who felt that way at first, Zoë would go on to change her mind — just three months later. Beginning with a photo of herself dancing alongside her mom, Zoë would become an avid Instagrammer in no time. As of this writing, she has racked up over four million followers.
Although she has not commented on what changed her mind, she did tell the publication back in 2014 that she carried a set of strong beliefs — many of which she now shares online. "I believe in women's rights. I believe in peace. I believe in avocados. I believe in freedom of speech. I believe in fairies," she remarked, "I believe in a lot of things!"
The surprising reason she chose to bare it all for Rolling Stone
In the November 2018 issue of Rolling Stone, Zoë graces the cover sans clothes — with cleverly placed limbs, of course. The cover is actually a recreation of Lisa Bonet's photoshoot with the magazine all the way back in 1988. Unlike her daughter's adaptation, Bonet's risqué photo was used inside the issue. Bonet still made the cover, but unlike her daughter, she was clad in a loose-fitting white shirt.
"I think she was a little bummed when they used the shirt picture as the cover," Zoë told Rolling Stone, "I think she just thought, 'I'm doing it, let's do it!'" So, Zoë paid homage to her mom by doing what she'd wished she'd been able to do over three decades prior. "It's less about the picture and more about doing the thing my mom intended to do," Zoë revealed, "That feels cool."
She was secretly engaged for months before it went public
Zoë Kravitz's Rolling Stone feature wasn't just physically revealing. Details of the star's personal life were also exposed in the November 2018 issue. During the interview, writer Josh Eells noticed that Zoë was wearing what he dubbed a "huge diamond on her left ring finger." Zoë confirmed her engagement to actor Karl Grusman so matter-of-factly that the journalist thought she was kidding. "No, I'm engaged!" she told him, "I haven't told anyone yet — I mean, I haven't told the world. I wanted to keep it private."
Zoë and Glusman met two years earlier while at a bar with their mutual friends. They moved in together shortly after meeting and Zoë accepted his proposal in February 2018. Originally, he wanted to propose in Paris, but because of work obligations, he ended up proposing at the couple's home — and, she thinks she was "a little drunk." Nevertheless, Zoë said she loves "that it wasn't this elaborate plan in Paris. It was at home, in sweatpants." Happily ever after, you two!