Zoë Kravitz might be the best Catwoman ever.
Following an opening weekend that saw The Batman generate $134 million at domestic box offices and $258 million internationally, per Variety, Kravitz has received high praise for her performance as Selina Kyle across social media and, in many cases, has been anointed the best Catwoman yet.
"As dedicated Catwoman fans, we can say [without] exaggeration that #TheBatman gives us the best Catwoman in history," Twitter user @catwomanarchives tweeted. "A fully-realized, loving portrayal of Selina, from her most heroic to her most vengeful, delicately handling her selfish heart and a hidden potential to be greater."
"Zoë Kravitz is the best #Catwoman we've ever seen in live-action," another user added. "She's smart, capable, intuitive & has tremendous heart. Her on screen chemistry with Robert Pattinson's Batman felt completely natural and an absolute perfect fit."
In the months leading up to the March 4 release of The Batman, Kravitz addressed much of the film's production process, including a rigorous initial screen test alongside Pattinson, who has also received high praise for his debut performance as Batman himself.
"The chemistry read was really intense," Kravitz told Entertainment Weekly in February. "Rob was wearing the Batsuit, and it was a proper camera test with the DP there and everything on a soundstage."
"It wasn't just reading lines in a room," she assured.
Despite movie publications like Screen Rant and Looper dubbing Kravitz' 2022 version of Catwoman the best ever, the 33-year-old actress recently revealed she could have made her Batman debut a decade ago, but was rejected from even auditioning for 2012's The Dark Knight Rises.
Telling The Observer that she was passed over because she was too "urban," Kravitz was careful not to blame director Christopher Nolan for the senseless rejection, but made it clear how difficult it was to be turned away without even the opportunity to audition.
"I don't know if it came directly from Chris Nolan," Kravitz said. "I think it was probably a casting director of some kind, or a casting director's assistant."
"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 continued.
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The word "urban" has long been used within the entertainment industry in association with Black art, and anything created by Black artists.
In 2020, musician Tyler, the Creator won Best Rap Album for his record IGOR at the 62nd Grammy Awards. During his press availability, the now 31-year-old spoke about winning the often-scrutinized award and The Recording Academy's determination that IGOR, which features elements of numerous genres, was strictly a rap album.
"It sucks that whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that's genre-bending or that's anything, they always put it in the rap or urban category," Tyler, the Creator lamented. "I don't like that urban word. It's just a politically correct way to say the n-word to me."
"When I hear that, I'm just like, why can't we just be in pop?," he questioned.
On Twitter, many users reacting to Kravitz' revelation that she was barred from The Dark Knight Rises for being too "urban," pointed to her success as Catwoman as proof she would have dazzled a decade ago, and as a metaphoric "I told you so," to Nolan's directorial team.
"The fact that Zoë Kravtiz was told she couldn't play Catwoman in the Nolanverse because she was 'urban' and now she is definitely the definitive live action Catwoman for the modern age," user @Raetheforce tweeted. "Love it. That's TRUE JUSTICE."
The fact that Zoë Kravitz was told she couldn’t play Catwoman in the Nolanverse because she was “urban” and now she is definitely the definitive live action Catwoman for the modern age. Love it. That’s TRUE JUSTICE,
— Rachel Leah (@raetheforce) March 4, 2022
"When Nolan dismissed Zoë Kravitz, daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz for being too 'urban,' I lost a lot of respect for him despite my appreciation of his brilliance as a a director," @gmgeiko added. "Hats off to Zoë for apparently killing it in The Batman reboot."
Although a portion of Batman commentary has shifted to Kravitz not being in The Dark Knight Rises, praise for her performance as Catwoman continues to pour in.
"When I tell y'all Zoë was ACTING," Twitter user @korysverse began. "Genuinely the best Catwoman to date."
"We already know she had the looks down," they added. "But trust she has every other aspect down as well."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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