The Batman: Zoë Kravitz Talks Catwoman Role Nerves

High Fidelity actress Zoë Kravitz has been chatting about being the new Catwoman in The Batman

Just a few days ago we were getting our first look at Robert Pattinson as the new Dark Knight thanks to The Batman director Matt Reeves. We collectively turned up the brightness on our phones, closed the curtains and squinted at the brief video, and it brought us closer together as a fandom. Even as some of us sighed “I wish this was even slightly better lit” in unison, we found ourselves poring over the finer details of what emerged from the darkness – the chin, the lips, the bits of gun on his chest …but now that filming is underway in earnest on the caped crusader’s next big screen outing, we’re about to get a lot more of our eyeballs onto what Reeves and co have planned for Bruce Wayne’s next incarnation.

It’s been said that Batman is only as good as his villains, and Reeves doesn’t seem to be leaving much to chance here. Not only will The Penguin and The Riddler make an appearance in The Batman – played by Colin Farrell and Paul Dano respectively – Catwoman will be back in action, but we don’t yet know how much of an antagonist the character will be. In recent years, Anne Hathaway’s Nolanverse version of Selina Kyle was ultimately much more of a helpful cohort, while Tim Burton had Michelle Pfeiffer play up to her darker side.

Zoë Kravitz has been cast as Catwoman in The Batman, and she’s been chatting with Variety about how she approached the character in an interview to promote Hulu’s new gender-flipped adaptation of Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity. Kravitz plays the lead role in that series, but she admits coming aboard The Batman was still a bit daunting.

“It was a little scary, but also whenever I get nervous about something, I feel it pushes me to a better place anyway, so I welcome the nerves,” she said. “If you start focusing too much on what people are going to think you’re doing yourself a disservice, it’s almost like you’re putting your energy in the wrong place. Of course, I want to honor the fans and hope they like what I do with the role, but in order to do what I think I need to do with Catwoman I have to go internal and forget about the rest of the world.”

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Kravitz, the daughter of singer Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, is no stranger to the world of comic book tales. She previously voiced Mary Jane in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and played Angel Salvadore in X-Men: First Class. Despite the pressure of inhabiting such an iconic character in Catwoman, she cites Pattinson as her “partner in crime” when it comes to getting the best from The Batman.

“I’ve never worked with him before, but we’ve been together for the last few weeks, I had to camera test with him and now we’ve been training together and rehearsing together and he’s just a delightful person and such a wonderful, thoughtful actor. I think he’s perfect for the role and it’s going to be such an adventure. I’m excited to have him as my partner in crime and to be there to support each other, because it’s intense. It’s going to be a long shoot and there’s a lot of pressure, and I know he has my back and I have his.”

Much more on The Batman as it breaks.