Zoë Kravitz could not audition for Catwoman because of her racial background, reveals 2015 interview of actress

Zoë Kravitz, who has been cast as Catwoman in Matt Reeves' The Batman, revealed in a 2015 interview she was not even given a chance to audition for the role in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. The actress had told Nylon magazine she was rejected because of her racial background.

"In the last Batman movie (The Dark Knight Rises), they told me that I couldn't get an audition for a small role they were casting because they weren't 'going urban,'. It was like, 'What does that have to do with anything?' I have to play the role like, 'Yo, what's up, Batman? What's going on wit chu?' (sic)," Kravitz had told Nylon magazine.

Zoë Kravitz. Image from Twitter

Comicbook.com explains "urban" is often used as a slang in a derogatory manner to describe "black." The news of the Big Little Lies actress being finally cast as Catwoman is a sign of Hollywood's acceptance of on-screen diversity.

Variety had previously reported the makers of The Batman were in talks with Kravitz, Zazie Beetz (Joker), Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver), and Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl). Kravitz took the role despite scheduling issues with the upcoming Fantastic Beasts film.

After the news of Kravitz' casting broke, she was congratulated by Jason Momoa, who is married to her mother Lisa Bonet, as well as Anne Hathaway. Michelle Pfeiffer, who was Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), had some advice to offer to Kravitz. "Make sure whilst designing the costume they consider how you're going to go to the bathroom," Pfeiffer said on Good Morning America.

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Here are Momoa and Hathaway's congratulatory posts

The biggest congrats to @zoeisabellakravitz on landing the role of a lifetime. Well, one life anyway...⁣⁣ Enjoy the ride, Selina #Catwoman

A post shared by Anne Hathaway (@annehathaway) on Oct 15, 2019 at 6:36am PDT