Editorial note: This article was originally published on Dec. 26, 2017. We have updated it and are republishing it now.
In the season one finale of “The Studio,” Zoë Kravitz, playing a version of herself, gets unprecedented levels of high. Looking at studio executive Matt Remick (Seth Rogen), who is about to go onstage to present at CinemaCon, she grabs his cheeks. “You can do it,” she says, inches from his face. “You’re a Black Jewish queen. You’re Zoë Kravitz.”
Obviously, “The Studio” is a fictional show. The Hollywood shenanigans it depicts are based in reality, but heightened for comedic effect. Except, as a viewer and connoisseur of all things Zoë Kravitz, we here at Hey Alma can confirm that she is in fact a Black Jewish Queen. From her work to her personal life, Zoë is one of the coolest, chicest celebrities working today.
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So here are 18 things to know about her!
1. Zoë was born on Dec. 1, 1988 in Los Angeles, California.
2. She’s a Sagittarius!
3. Her parents are rock star Lenny Kravitz and actress Lilakoi Moon (formerly known as Lisa Bonet)!
4. Zoë has African American heritage and Ashkenazi heritage through both of her parents! Her paternal grandfather Sy Kravitz came from a Russian Jewish background, while her paternal grandmother Roxie Roker’s ancestry was African American and Afro-Bahamian. Her maternal grandfather Allen Bonet was of African American descent, and her maternal grandmother Arlene Litman had Polish Jewish, Russia Jewish and Belarusian Jewish heritage.
5. Zoë has, according to Rolling Stone, wanted to act since she was a baby.
“I’d stage performances in my grandparents’ living room, charging them and their friends one-dollar admission,” she told the outlet. “Real Jewy, huh?”
6. Her dad wrote the song “Flowers for Zoë” for her when she was just 2 years old. Aww!
7. She graduated from the Rudolf Steiner School in 2007. Zoë then briefly attended the acting conservatory at SUNY Purchase before dropping out to pursue acting full-time.
8. She is a style icon. Her words of advice on what to wear?
“I’ve always liked contrasts, contradiction… I think too much of anything doesn’t work — like if everything you wear is expensive-looking, you look stale. And if everything you wear is ripped and falling apart, you look crazy. I like when you can find a balance. I live in New York City. I walk around. I have to be comfortable. You don’t look cool or sexy if you’re uncomfortable; it’s not attractive.”
9. She’s spoken publicly about figuring out her identity as a Black Jewish woman.
We’re just going to include all her words from this 2017 Allure interview: “I am definitely mixed. Both my parents are mixed. I have white family on both sides. The older I get, the more I experience life, I am identifying more and more with being black, and what that means — being more and more proud of that and feeling connected to my roots and my history. It’s been a really interesting journey because I was always one of the only black kids in any of my schools. I went to private schools full of white kids. I think a lot of that made me want to blend in or not be looked at as black. The white kids are always talking about your hair and making you feel weird. I had this struggle of accepting myself as black and loving that part of myself. And now I’m so in love with my culture and so proud to be black. It’s still ongoing, but a big shift has occurred.”
10. Zoë starred in the 2020 TV adaption of “High Fidelity” as Rob Brooks. Her mother starred in the 2000 original movie!
11. In “Big Little Lies,” Zoë played Bonnie Carlson. And just like the rest of us, she obsesses over her co-stars Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. As she told Elle in 2018, “When those women are in your corner, it gives you a little pep in your step.”
12. In 2022, Time Magazine named her one of their 100 most influential people!
“Zoë Kravitz defies definition,” wrote Reese Witherspoon at the time. “She contains multitudes and stands fully formed in her beauty, her intelligence, her grace, her humor, her strength. Part maverick, part savant, mostly just… cool. Cool like Dylan. Cool like Cash. Cool like Nina Simone. Forged by the strength and grace of two incredible artists, but made whole by her own grit and intellect.”
13. She’s Catwoman! OK, not literally. But in the 2022 film “The Batman” she is.
14. Zoë made her directorial debut with the 2024 film “Blink Twice,” which she also co-wrote and produced. An even more fun fact: The film was initially titled “Pussy Island.”
15. Zoë received her first Emmy nomination for playing herself in “The Studio.” Plus, remember that “Black Jewish Queen” line? She ad-libbed it!
“I’m pretty proud of it,” she told W Magazine.
16. What are Zoë’s hottest takes? You can listen to her talk about them here:
17. Zoë has a star-studded dating history. She dated Ezra Miller in 2010 and then Penn Badgley from 2011-2013. She began dating Karl Glusman in 2016, and the pair got married in 2019. Their divorced was finalized in 2021, and Zoë started dating Channing Tatum in the same year. The pair got engaged in 2023, but split up in 2024. Now…
18. Zoë is reportedly engaged to Jewish-adjacent megastar Harry Styles!
