When one of the trendiest actresses in Hollywood, Zoë Kravitz, shares the last name of one of America’s coolest musicians, Lenny Kravitz, it’s fair to wonder if there’s any shared DNA. But are the two actually related?
Zoë Kravitz is the daughter of Lenny Kravtiz and Lisa Bonet, and was born on December 1, 1988 in Los Angeles, California. Lenny and Lisa split amicably in 1993 when Zoë was five, and while she initially lived with her mother in Topanga Canyon, she moved to live with Lenny in Miami aged 11.
Read on to learn more about the father daughter duo and their relationship.
Cool Parents
Whilst now an icon in her own right, there was a time when if you knew one thing about Zoë, it was probably related to her famous parents.
When Lenny, then an aspiring rocker, met Lisa Bonet, breakout star of the ‘Cosby Show’, backstage at a concert, it was instant fireworks. The pair eloped to Vegas in 1987 and in months, Lisa was pregnant.
Zoë told Rolling Stone that Lisa credits Zoë’s birth with saving her life, explaining that she really “didn’t intend on being famous”. Whilst she returned briefly to the ‘Cosby Show’ after Zoë’s birth, she left officially in 1991.
Needless to say, Lenny’s career powered ahead after the birth of his daughter and his debut album ‘Let Love Rule’ was released in 1989, heralding the beginning of massive success and his status as a rock ‘n’ roll idol.
Growing Up In The Spotlight
While Zoë has no recollection of family life with both her parents, she initially lived with her mother in Topanga Canyon and went to a local school. Lenny’s career meant that his visits were infrequent Zoë idolized him as a bit of a Santa Claus figure, his visits always big events.
She eventually moved to Miami to live with her father, aged 11, in what became a big adjustment for Zoë, who went from a relatively quiet existence with her mother to “lots of people, lots of assistants”.
Zoë told Vogue, “I remember when ‘Fly Away’ was released, whenever my dad came to collect me, the whole school would swarm the parking lot. I always thought, ‘I know why I’m so excited to see him, because it’s rare for him to pick me up, but why are you all so excited?’”
Growing up surrounded by models took its toll on Zoë and she battled with an eating disorder throughout her teens. In an interview she explained, “my mother was so beautiful and so tiny, I always felt clunky around her, and then my dad was always surrounded by supermodels”.
She eventually persuaded her Dad to move them to New York, and that’s where she really got into her acting, to the surprise of Lenny who said “I thought she’d go to school and be a doctor or lawyer.”
After finishing school, Zoë set to work earning the reputation that followed her famous name with an awareness that “nobody cares who your mom or dad is if you can’t do the job”.
She told Vogue that, while it’s taken the first ten years of her career, “I now finally feel like I’m in a place where I’m able to say, ‘I deserve this’”. Rightly so given her extensive film credits, which include ‘Fantastic Beasts’, ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ and the ‘Divergent’ series.
Best Friends
Though the pair have an, understandably, intimidating presence, Zoë insists they’re really just chill. In an interview with Rolling Stone she said, “There’s this Kravitz family thing where people think we’re really cool and serious, which always makes me laugh — because we’re some of the goofiest people in the world,”
Lenny told the Guardian, “My daughter is my best friend. If we’re not together we’re on the phone several times a day. I’m so proud of the human being she’s become”.
Watch Lenny and Zoë play Lip Sync Charades on The Tonight Show in the YouTube video below.