What’s up with the Zoë Kravitz backlash?

Zoë Kravitz has had a spectacular few years, particularly in the wake of 2022’s Batman, but controversial comments from a decade back are resurfacing to haunt the 35-year-old star.

Its almost impossible to be famous without someone trying to drag you down, and online sleuths will find almost anything to sully a rising star’s name. Kravitz was at the top of her game in 2022, starring alongside Robert Pattinson in the newest gritty Batman release, and the same year she was named one of Time‘s 100 Most Influential People.

With all those fresh fans come plenty of haters, unfortunately, and a few of Kravitz’s detractors latched onto a years-old interview for fodder to hate on the Catwoman actress. Those old comments haunt the star to this day, but with so much potential still ahead, I suspect they won’t drag her down much.

What happened to Zoë Kravitz?

Zoë Kravitz had a lukewarm start to her career, acting — but rarely starring — in a number of high-profile releases that include X-Men: First Class, Divergent, and Mad Max: Fury Road, before her career started to experience a notable uptick with her involvement in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Its no Harry Potter, but the sister series performed extremely well following its first few releases, and Kravitz was a big part of its success.

Then came Batman and a whole new level of fame, and with that fame came people looking to discredit the star. They found their in via a 2013 interview in which the star made some questionable — but by no means cancel-worthy — comments about Will Smith’s young son, Jaden Smith.

Speaking about her time hanging with the star during his youth, Kravitz noted her amazement at his poise and maturity at such a young age. At the time Kravitz was referencing, Smith was a tender 14, while Kravitz was a decade his senior, and her comments about the youngest Smith son were seen as deeply problematic.

“There were moments that I was hanging out with Jaden and thinking, I can’t believe you’re 14, I have to check myself, like what I say to you,” Kravitz said. Noting the young star’s “personality” and “swag,” Kravitz went onto proclaim that “he is so much cooler than I am.” None of that was really seen in a negative light, but Kravitz’s next line of thinking was. “He’s so handsome,” the adult star said. “I was always like, when you’re older, you know, we’ll hang out…Nope, that’s inappropriate, you’re 14.”

To be fair, Kravitz called herself out in that same quote, noting at the end that it was an inappropriate line of thought, but her detractors aren’t digging that deep. They’re perfectly happy to label the star a child predator due to her comments on Smith, and they’re not budging.

Kravitz, for her part, isn’t seeing many negative impacts from the interview. While it is referenced as some massive “accident” that set her career off-kilter, it really doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal as some web-users make it out to be. Its a little weird, to be sure, and I’m sure Kravitz wishes she’s chosen her words more carefully, but in the end its one minor misstep from a successful and popular star.