Zoe Kravitz was rejected from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ for being “too urban”
Matt Reeves’ version of The Batman has finally hit the theatres after a long period of anticipation and it has managed to take a different path as compared to the approaches of its predecessors. Starring the likes of Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz, The Batman has already grossed more than $250 million at the global box office.
While the film was celebrated for its brilliant cinematography, which conducted a neo-noir treatment of Gotham City as well as the performances of the central cast (especially that of Paul Dano who was fantastic as The Riddler), The Batman has also earned criticism for its narrative fallacies in the final segment of the three-hour film.
In a recent interview, Zoe Kravitz also revealed that she had auditioned for a Batman film in the past but was subjected to a racist rejection. That film was Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, the final instalment in Nolan’s acclaimed trilogy which has now been immortalised in popular culture as the definitive interpretation of the mythology of Batman.
“I don’t know if it came directly from Chris Nolan,” Kravitz said, while claiming that she did not end up getting the role because she was written off as being “too urban”. Reflecting on that incident, Kravitz added that the decision might have been made by someone other than the director: “I think it was probably a casting director of some kind, or a casting director’s assistant.”
The entire experience left her shocked because of the blatant prejudice and there were many such incidents throughout her career. Kravitz said: “Being a woman of colour and being an actor and being told at that time that I wasn’t able to read because of the colour of my skin, and the word ‘urban’ being thrown around like that, that was what was really hard about that moment.”
Watch the trailer for The Batman below.
