Effortlessly Modern Multi-Hyphenates: Lisa Bonet & Zoe Kravitz

If you had eyes and were alive in the late 1980s, chances are you were one of the several billion people around the globe who tuned in weekly for the latest instalment of American family sitcom The Cosby Show. Putting aside for a moment all incredibly problematic #MeToo era references to Bill Cosby in light of his recent criminal convictions, the most important, resonating and striking character for any wide eyed Scottish tweenager was Denise Huxtable.

Lisa Bonet (her real life counterpart) oozed effortless Bohemian cool. Amazingly composed, excitingly and refreshingly different to the cut out Barbies of the day, and so laidback it hurt, Bonet was the standout star and evidently chaffed at the traditional sitcom contraints. Following up with A Different World (side bar for Kadeem Hardison’s late 90s fashion touchstone: the snap up and down sunglasses), Bonet graduated before our eyes from sitcom ingenue to serious actress in Angel Heart with Mickey Rourke. Leaving the Cosby Show abruptly however (*silent Hunger Games hand raise for her rumoured stand against “creative differences” with the aforementioned Mr Cosby) led to several strategic career moves which in turn led to the stars aligning with a certain beloved rock musician, Lenny Kravitz (more on that to come). Bonet has continued into the millennium as a cultural icon.

Mixing occasional film appearances with raising her family – breaking up with Krazitz in 2004 led several years later to her decade long and counting marriage to Khal Drogo himself, Jason Momoa, with whom she has two young children. She has been a strong activist for women’s and animal rights for many years and set up non-profit Operation Venice Heart to help incarcerated youth in Southern California. Add Philanthropist to her resume.

Bonet & Kravitz have the most ridiculous combined gene genome on the planet so it’s no surprise that their only daughter has the cool, calm, ridiculously beautiful composure of Zoe Kravitz. Incredible looks aside her acting and performing chops are proving to be just as effective as her parents – her starring roles in Big Little Lies, Mad Max: Fury Road, Fantastic Beasts (& Where to Find Them) prove just that. Not content with taking her mother’s career path in her stride, she also fronts rock band Lolawolf (Kravitz by name, Kravitz by nature), has worked with artists like Drake & Janelle Monae and has toured with Miley Cyrus and the Black Keys while performing at SXSW among other festivals. Campaigning for youth voting and the Democratic party too, this actress-musician-activist is a multi-hyphenate for the modern age. 

Reading various interviews over the years with Bonet, it’s clear to read between the lines to the incredible bond this family shares and the wide open independence and freedom that Bonet has given Krazitz to discover her own creative path. Politically aware and creatively engaged, both women seek to contribute their own fearless legacy to our modern age and appear to have successfully straddled multiple outputs. 

Few women successfully encapsulate the image of a modern creative independent free-thinking empowered woman, but it appears that in Lisa Bonet and her daughter Zoe Kravitz, we have two.