STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Zoe Kravitz: 'I Didn't Identify With Black Culture' as a Kid

The actress keeps it real for NYLON.

Zoe Kravitz isn't your average It Girl. From her boho-chic style to her extracurricular activities — she fronts the punk band Lolawolf — everything Kravitz does defies your expectation of a 20-something starlet on the rise.

| SEE PHOTOS: 15 STYLE CUES TO STEAL FROM ZOE KRAVITZ |

Especially her candidness in interviews.
Refusing to be muzzled by a publicist, Kravitz has always been refreshingly frank when talking to the press. She's opened up about everything from her struggle with eating disorders to her unconventional upbringing with refreshing honesty. Now, she's going there with NYLON about race.
"I identified with white culture, and I wanted to fit in," she tells the magazine, on which she graces the August "Denim Issue" cover, about going to a predominantly white high school. "I didn’t identify with Black culture, like, I didn’t like Tyler Perry movies, and I wasn’t into hip-hop music. I liked Neil Young."
But as time went on, her views shifted. "Black culture is so much deeper than that," she says, "but unfortunately that is what’s fed through the media. That’s what people see. That’s what I saw. But then I got older and listened to A Tribe Called Quest and watched films with Sidney Poitier, and heard Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. I had to un-brainwash myself. It’s my mission, especially as an actress."
But Kravitz isn't just pretty on the inside. She's got a fairly spectacular exterior, too, which photographer Bella Howard and stylist Sean Knight explore in the issue's stunning photo spread. 
Click here for Zoe's thoughts on body insecurities, Miley Cyrus and more.
BET.com always gives you the latest fashion and beauty trends, tips and news. We are committed to bringing you the best of Black lifestyle and celebrity culture.

(Photos: Bella Howard for NYLON Magazine, August 2015)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.