Zoë Kravitz’s Best Sketches, Ranked

Saturday Night Live continued its run of heroic hosts last night with The Batman star and the coolest cat around Zoë Kravitz, who took the Studio 8H stage for the first time alongside musical guest Rosalía. In an episode of In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Kravitz, the daughter of music star Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, explained that her admiration for actors and performing started at a young age. Growing up in California’s quiet Topanga Canyon as the only child to two famous divorced parents, plus the fact that she wasn’t allowed to watch television, forced her to use her imagination much more than a lot of her peers. “I had a lot of time to use my imagination, and so making up characters, and putting on shows, and singing songs…that was always the way I entertained myself and others around me.”

Given that her screen time was severely limited, movies were a special treat and a transformative experience that she latched onto and obsessed over. Some of the titles she wore out on her VHS included Grease, Little Rascals, the original Star Wars and Freaky Friday movies, and anything Jodie Foster was in. “I was obsessed with Jodie Foster growing up,” adding, “She just always had this amazing confidence since she was a kid, and I think I also really identified with her kind of androgyny too. I was kind of a tomboy growing up and I felt like I saw myself in her and her toughness.” In a full-circle moment years later, Kravitz worked with Foster in 2007’s crime drama The Brave One.

The self-described “drama nerd” fell in love with theater in high school, and realized that acting was what she needed to pursue. She auditioned for and got into the SUNY Purchase acting conservatory and after a year, decided to focus on the audition hustle in New York. Like all of her acting peers fresh out of school, the road to success was paved with rejection. “I had to learn how to not fall in love with [acting projects] so deeply…you read a script and you see yourself in that part and decide that it’s yours, and then you don’t get it. And it hurts! It really hurts.”

She’s since carved out a successful and eclectic career, acting in independent films such as Beware the Gonzo and Yelling to the Sky, as well as big-budget projects including the Divergent and Fantastic Beasts franchises and Mad Max: Fury Road with Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. In addition to being part of the A-list ensemble in HBO’s Emmy-winning series Big Little Lies, she also starred in, produced, and helped develop the Hulu series High Fidelity, which put a gender-flip spin on the classic John Cusack movie of the same name. When approached to play the re-envisioned role of Rob, she admits that her initial reaction to reinventing a classic was a major “eye roll.” But having been a life-long fan of the source material and connecting so much with the main character, however, was enough to convince her to sign on. Not only did she lead the project on screen, but also served as a producer and writer.

Kravitz knows that she might come off as a cool, confident, and even intimidating person, but she says that she certainly doesn’t feel that way. “There’s no part of me that’s trying to be any of those things. In my brain, I’m an incredibly socially awkward person,” the multi-hyphenate said. “I’m glad that I’m pulling it off, but then part of me also gets bummed out when people think I don’t care or I’m really cool because it feels very far away from my actual personality.”

Let’s revisit some of the best moments from the March 12 episode of Saturday Night Live. Live from New York, it’s Zoë Kravitz!

Table of Contents

5. Please Don’t Destroy: We Got Her a Cat

What’s a great gift to buy for Catwoman? Uh, a cat, duh! Only the problem is that the cat is…missing. Snuggle Bucket was literally just here a second ago, and now she’s gone. Quick, flip the couch cushions! Break some bottles! Wait, is that Paul Dano? Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy team up with Batman’s foes and attempt to bring back the cat! Meow?

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4. Word Crunch

The game show Word Crunch is suffering the consequences of a writers’ strike. But, don’t worry, the sound engineer Chris (Sarah Sherman) has everything under control. Thankfully, the eager contestants seem to have a firm grasp on the word search concept. Well, everyone except Cara (Kravitz). While some people see the words “apple” and “cat”, she can only see one thing: “Mom hole.”

3. Don’t Stop Believin’

“It’s tubas playing the baseline. Who thinks of that!” At first, it’s just your average, low-energy brunch with friends, but within seconds, one man (Bowen Yang) is brave enough to share his favorite song with the group: “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. It’s a pretty well-known song, so it’s not that much of a surprise that someone likes it. But the man doesn’t like Journey. Instead, he loves the new rendition by the Ohio State University marching band. With unwavering enthusiasm and a surge of adrenaline, he dances and sings his way to victory. This is no time for frittatas! It’s Bowen’s world, and we’re just living in it.

2. Porch Scene

What’s the logical next step when you’re with someone you really like and don’t know how to proceed? Should you be honest and tell them how you really feel? Nah, maybe just call your best friend and certified ladies’ man Jason (Aidy Bryant). That’s exactly what the incredibly awkward Josh (Kate McKinnon) does when “the Hilary Duff” of his algebra class, Cassie (Kravitz), asks him to hang out. Cassie seems very chill and interested in Josh and all his quirks, but he isn’t so sure how to function. Luckily, Jason’s the only straight guy in his ballet class and knows a thing or two. McKinnon also did this hilariously cringey character when Carey Mulligan hosted.

1. Maid of Honor

Shh girlies, it’s time for Tanya’s (Cecily Strong) maid of honor Sarah (Kravitz) to give a speech. It’s always nice to hear your best friend tell you why you’re so special to them. But, is it though? The groom Nate (Kyle Mooney) is a bit horrified at everything he’s learning about the person he’s going to spend the rest of his life with. Actually, given everything Sarah says, it doesn’t seem like Nate will make it out of the marriage alive. Sarah’s warm smile and innocent laugh can only masquerade so many hate crimes.

Kravitz can be seen as the iconic anti-hero Catwoman in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and as the lead in Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi on HBO Max. She’s also set to make her directorial debut with Pussy Island, a film she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum that is currently in pre-production. Saturday Night Live returns with new episodes on March 26.