X Best Zoë Kravitz Movies & TV Shows, Ranked

A talented third-generation star with lots of firepower behind her, Zoë Kravitz has transformed into a major force to be reckoned with. Though she cut her chops on both comedy and drama, it’s the action and fantasy realm where she has become most renowned. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t impressed with great performances across the spectrum of acting. Whether it’s blasting through the desert on a war rig, playing a disaffected record store employee, or being the center point of a love triangle, there’s a Kravitz role for everyone to enjoy.

But what TV and film parts have been her best? Which will be most fondly remembered decades from now and have the most replay value? Here are Zoë Kravitz’ best performances, ranked via authorial preference as well as critical and audience acclaim. Whether you’re a new fan or are well-versed in her acting roles, there’s bound to be a treat for you on this list.

There’s something so delightful about the fact that Zoë Kravitz has played several different versions of Catwoman, deepening her connection to the DCU’s alternate universe. In “The Lego Batman Movie” — which has a whole lot of fun with the Caped Crusader’s long and storied history while building a compelling story about Batman (Will Arnett) and Robin (Michael Cera) trying to save Gotham City — she has a fun supporting part as a technologically-apt Catwoman included in The Joker’s  (Zach Galifianakis) rogue’s gallery of villains. 

Preceding her turn as Selina Kyle in 2022’s “The Batman,” the take on the character here is entirely different than the direction she went when preparing to play  in the live-action movie. There’s definitely a note of Eartha Kitt in her purring, and this bit of depth adds to this minor yet fun interpretation. It shows that the best voice you have is arguably your own.

The film itself centers on Bruce Wayne, who must learn how to accept partnership and teamwork as he adopts orphan Dick Grayson and faces down a revenge plot from The Joker, who can’t stand that Batman thinks he’s unimportant to his hero’s journey. 

• Cast: Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson
• Director: Chris McKay
• Rating: PG
• Runtime: 104 minutes
• Where to watch: HBO Max

Zoë Kravitz has her foot in many major franchises, with the first two “Fantastic Beasts” making her a permanent fixture of the “Harry Potter” Wizarding World. Leta Lestrange is a part of a long, villainous line of wizards and Kravitz provides the patrician with the coldness necessary to make a Lestrange well, a Lestrange. It may not be her most entertaining role, but she provides Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) with the conflict he needs.

Leta is a complicated figure who has a past that links her to a tragedy related to her baby brother, Corvus V. She and Newt pretend to be engaged for a period of time, but ultimately Leta ends up sacrificing herself to save others during a protest action launched by Gellert Grindelwald (Johhny Depp), who demands the wizarding world end their pacifistic stance and prevent World War II. Leta’s murky actions have an under current of grace and vulnerability, a tall order that most actresses could not accomplish, but Kravitz nails with ease.

• Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston
• Director: David Yates
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 134 minutes
• Where to watch: HBO Max 

This one hasn’t aged quite as well as the other examples on the list, but it’s still a worthy dramedy and an important building block in Zoë Kravitz’ career. “Californication” features her as a singer much like her dad  — Pearl, the leader of the teenage all-female band Queens of Dogtown. The grungy outfit encourages Becca Moody (Madeleine Martin), daughter of series lead Hank Moody (David Duchovny) to join them during Season 4. Things get a little sticky when Becca’s mom, Karen (Natascha McElhone), dates Pearl’s dad.

This is a rare part where Kravitz gets to show off her musical chops as well as her acting; you can even listen to the songs she sang for the show to this day. If her brief time on “Californication” grabs you, you might as well settle in for all seven seasons of Hank’s erotically complicated, wildly messy lifestyle. But if you just want to sample her work, this is a great place to start. 

• Cast : David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Madeleine Martin
• Director: various
• Rating: TV-M
• Runtime: 30 Minutes per episode (total number of episodes: 84; number featuring Kravitz, 8)
• Where to watch: Hulu, Paramount + and most other large streamers with a Showtime add-on subscription

The “Divergent” series stands as a demarcation line in Zoë Kravitz’ development as an actress. The part arrived at the end of her time as a teen starlet as she was embracing more serious roles. While the dystopian drama itself may come off as a “Hunger Games” clone years later, it proved that Kravitz had the confidence and grace to take on a meaty character that stood out from the rest of the pack.

The movie is set in a dystopian version of Chicago in the far-flung future. Most people are sorted into one of five factions, while the all those at the bottom are deemed factionless. A person’s life is decided at 16, when they undergo an intense testing process which proves their aptitude for each faction. Enter Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley), who is assigned the Dauntless faction  — intended for the bravest of individuals. But like Katniss before her, Tris sees the nonsense inherent in the testing process and seeks to expose the shadowy individuals behind it all.

Kravitz plays Christina, one of the Dauntless who becomes one of Tris’ closest friends. Zoë Kravitz is no stranger to science fiction franchises, but her work in the “Divergent” trilogy defines her as an actress — and is one of her better outings in the genre.

• Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Maggie Q
• Director: Neil Burger
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 140 minutes
• Where to watch: AMC+

“Caught Stealing” is Zoë Kravitz’ latest project as of this writing, but it’s also one of her best. There is an argument to be made that Yvonne (Kravitz) is something of a step back in time regarding female characters in action films. But until she exits the film early on in its second act, the actor provides a sly, knowing and bright presence that burnishes the movie. In spite of her disappearance, “Caught Stealing” is a good movie that sees Kravitz turn in another great performance.

Former baseball king Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) fell from grace long ago following a traumatic car accident and is now tending bars instead of hitting balls. Everything changes when his buddy Russ (Matt Smith) leaves his cat with Hank while out visiting his father. It turns out that Russ has connections to a variety of underworld figures, and Hank’s very life may be in danger.

• Cast: Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith
• Director: Darren Aronofsky
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 107 minutes
• Where to watch: Theatrically

This 2011 prequel to Fox’s “X-Men” series is a lot of fun to watch, and Zoë Kravitz is one of many young actors who gets time to shine as friends of a pre-professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy). This young mutant-laden school, however, is nothing like the institute Xavier will set up one day, and the difference shows up in how the students interact. Kravitz’ Angel Salvadore has a punchy spirit that double-underlines the kind of actress that she would become over time – a strong woman whose singularity and toughness make her stand out.

“X-Men: First Class” sees Xavier go head-to-head with his lifelong rival, Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) a Holocaust victim and Nazi hunter who believes that mutant kind ought to rule over humanity. Charles, meanwhile, wants to live in harmony with humans. While initially close, Charles and Erik fail to see eye-to-eye on their contrasting viewpoints and become bitter rivals. In the ending, their friends divide and become their allies, and the two groups prepare to go to war.

• Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence
• Director: Matthew Vaughn
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 132 minutes
• Where to watch: Hulu

We’d be remiss to not mention Zoe Kravitz’s turn as Selina Kyle, the whip-wielding Catwoman to Robert Pattinson’s brooding Dark Knight in “The Batman.”  While not Kravitz’s first rodeo in the comic book movie arena, her icy, intelligent, and carefully-calculated performance instantly put her among the most iconic interpretations of the character. 

She is a Selina in development; a waitress and budding cat burglar who trades drugs on the side. She comes to believe in justice the same way Bruce Wayne does — but her pursuit of vigilante truth puts her in conflict with her father, ultimately leaving Kyle disgusted with the state of Gotham. It’s a performance that shows true growth and even anchors the film, with Kyle’s darkest moments providing much-needed gravitas.

Rich heir Bruce Wayne takes on the mantle of Batman in response to rising crime in Gotham City and the murder of his own parents. He’s pitted against the mysterious Riddler (Paul Dano), whose tech-based offense proves a major challenge. Introducing shades of grey to the picture is Selina Kyle, who soon hatches a vengeance-based agenda of her own.

• Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano
• Director: Matt Reeves
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 167 minutes
• Where to watch: HBO Max

This adaptation of the hit 2000 John Cusack-starring romantic comedy was Zoë Kravitz’s breakout as a comic actress. “High Fidelity” lived a short life, but it manages to display Kravitz’s abundant leading lady energy as vinyl shop owner Rob Brooks. While fans won’t get to see any more of Rob’s adventures, as the series was cancelled after only one season, it’s well worth your time if you love Kravitz’s work. The quality of its writing alone warrants its high placement on the list.

Turning the tables on the movie’s original single-guy-trying-to-figure-out-his-messy-love life theme, “High Fidelity” chronicles Brooks as she struggles to figure out why her love life has ended in so many heartbreaks. She decides to go through the greatest hits of her breakups — including one involving her co-worker Simon (David H. Holmes). Will Rob be stuck forever in a holding pattern, or will she finally break free and find true love?

• Cast: Zoë Kravitz, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jake Lacy
• Director: various
• Rating: TV-M
• Runtime: 30 Minutes per episode (total number of episodes: 10)
• Where to watch: Hulu

Zoë Kravitz stands out in the ensemble that make up “Big Little Lies.” She plays Bonnie, one of the central female characters who find themselves stuck in the midst of a murder investigation. While Kravitz thinks the show was done after its two season run, she more than left an impression alongside Oscar winners and nominees, proving just how sharp her talents have become. 

The series follows five different women — Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), the town’s queen bee; Celeste (Nicole Kidman), a former lawyer with twins; Bonnie (Kravitz), a yoga instructor who married Madeline’s ex-husband; Jane (Shailene Woodley), a single mom who’s new to town; and Renata (Laura Dern), who is wealthy and argumentative. Their children all attend the local elementary school where a parent is killed during a fundraiser. Who the victim is, why they may have deserved it, and how law enforcement will react is slowly revealed across the show’s two seasons.

• Cast: Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley
• Director: various
• Rating: TV-M
• Runtime: 30 Minutes per episode (total number of episodes: 14)
• Where to watch: HBO Max

An unforgettable explosion of nitro that celebrates the importance of team work and found family, “Mad Max: Fury Road” gives us one of Zoë Kravitz’s best roles. As Toast the Knowing, she is the brain and soul of the wives who have escaped the Citadel of Immorten Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and are determined to raise a rebellion instead of submissively breeding more children for him. They are rescued by the legendary Furiosa (Charlize Theron), another former wife of Joe’s seeking to lead the revolt and return the Citadel and its resources to the people. Assisting Furiosa is Max (Tom Hardy), a former police officer who has been enslaved and now wants freedom just like her.

While only a supporting part, Kravitz’s intensity is impossible to ignore. She deserves to be acknowledged for how she captures Toast’s intelligence and thirst for technological prowess. It’s the best performance of the pile, showing that Zoë Kravitz can kick butt with the best of them.

• Cast: Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult
• Director: George Miller
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Where to watch: Howdy (Roku service)