HBO hit Big Little Lies was one of the most critically acclaimed dramas of 2017, starring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Zoe Kravitz. While the 29-year-old beauty made the cut, her father, Lenny Kravitz, believes he was passed over due to his race.
The popular series’ cast is almost entirely White, with Zoe playing the only character of color. As there were no other Black men cast, Kravitz believes producers didn’t want to cast the only Black actor as a villain, the role for which he auditioned.
“And the word that came back to me was that, if I was the only black man on the show, they didn’t want me doing what it was that I would be doing. So that ended up not happening,” Kravitz told BBC. “The director [Jean-Marc Vallée] was like, ‘I so want you for this but we’ll work together another time.'”
While Kravitz didn’t name the particular role, he was likely referring to Perry Wright, the physically and mentally abusive husband of Celeste, played by Nicole Kidman. Alexander Skarsgård went on to land the role, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance.
In the end, Kravitz is just grateful his daughter landed the role of Bonnie Carson, a bohemian yoga instructor, saying, “I’m much more happy that she got the role. It worked out wonderfully.”
