Why Zoë Kravitz Found Her Encounter With Bill Cosby So Disturbing

Between the big screen and the TV screen, Zoë Kravitz's work has helped her make a name for herself. She first appeared as ​​Angel Salvadore in "X-Men: First Class" and went on to more notable, recent roles like Selina Kyle in 2022's "The Batman." She's also held memorable television roles such as Rob Brooks in "High Fidelity" and Bonnie Carlson in "Big Little Lies." Kravitz of course comes from a celebrity family, with her father being none other than rocker Lenny Kravitz and her mother, actress Lisa Bonet. However, Kravitz tried to go by a different last name early on in her career to escape those connections. But it "didn't stick," via E! News.

While the family seems very cool and aloof, Kravitz told Rolling Stone in a feature in October 2018 that they're actually quite goofy. But when she looks back on her time growing up, being raised mostly by her mom, Kravitz regrets how she used to view it. She said that her father wasn't really around and not in an "absent" way but in a busy type of way. "But when you're that age, and someone comes and goes, it feels like Santa Claus or something — it's this event. Looking back, it's hard," she said. "My mom gave up everything for me, and I kind of took that for granted; and then my dad gets to stroll into town, and he's the hero. I look back and really feel for her in that situation." 

It seems like Zoë Kravitz has a better view of her mother and the two now have a close relationship. In the Rolling Stones feature, Kravitz said that Lisa Bonet always told her daughter that she "saved her life." Kravitz said that her mother didn't go out looking to be famous, and her stardom hit her fast and hard. Having a baby gave her the "stillness and privacy" she needed. 

Lisa Bonet got pregnant with Kravitz during her run as Denise Huxtable on "A Different World," a spinoff of "The Cosby Show." Bill Cosby was allegedly "very upset" when he found out she was pregnant, the magazine reported. Denise was written out of "A Different World" soon after and she barely appeared on "The Cosby Show" once Bonet came back before she finally left altogether.  

In his memoir, "Let Love Rule," Lenny Kravitz revealed that discussions around Bonet being pregnant were "tense" and it was the reason she was fired from her own show and eventually left "The Cosby Show," via MovieWeb.com. Zoë Kravitz remembers that Cosby and Bonet never got along. "Whether he was attracted to her, or he resented her having a mind of her own, she always got a weird vibe from him. A dark vibe," she said. There's also a "disturbing" picture of Cosby holding Kravitz as a baby. "His face is not a sweet face at all," she said. "It's kind of creepy."

Of course, the "dark vibe" and "disturbing" baby picture Zoë Kravitz mentioned all kind of fit in with the current state of Bill Cosby. As Vulture reported in 2016, almost 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault or misconduct, with the alleged instances starting as early as 2004. And in 2015 Cosby was charged with three accounts of sexual assault. When speaking with The Guardian in 2015, Kravitz revealed that her mother, Lisa Bonet, hadn't spoken about the allegations. "I think she's just staying out of it," Kravitz said. "She's just as disgusted and concerned as everyone else is, but I don't think she has any insight. It's news to her as well." Obviously, Bonet worked with Cosby for a long time and Kravitz agreed, saying if Bonet felt she needed to say something, she would.

Unfortunately, Kravitz can't say the same about her experience in Hollywood. In the Rolling Stone feature, she revealed that, when she was 19 or so, she was pursued on set by someone in power. "I definitely worked with a director who made me very uncomfortable," Kravitz said, detailing how the director wanted to come inside her hotel room. "Just totally inappropriate. And then he'd do things like come to the makeup trailer and touch my hair. Or say, 'Let me see your costume — turn around?' It's just never OK for someone to do that. Especially when they're in a position of power."