More From This Photographer
If you followed the latest news last week, you may have heard that the actress Zoe Kravitz was arrested in Los Angeles on December 12 for protesting outside the Burberry store. While holding a banner that read “Burberry No Peace, No War” she was charged with trespassing and booked at the nearby police station. She was later released on a $500 bond. This is not the first time that Kravitz has been in trouble with the law; she was arrested in January 2014 in New York for disorderly conduct and trespassing. In 2012, she was arrested at a protest in Paris for causing a public disturbance. According to a representative for Kravitz, the actress wants to “stay true to herself” and “express her opinion” but is aware that her “actions can be interpreted in a negative way”.
Why Is Zoe Kravitz Protesting?
It is not yet known what inspired Kravitz to become involved in activism. We do know that she has had an interest in social justice issues ever since she got involved in the 2014 Sundance Independent Film Festival documentary Una Noche Con Vida: The Artistry of Vikram Pandit, which focused on Latin American composer and bandleader Vikram Pandit. In the film, Pandit discusses overcoming his dyslexia to achieve greatness. Through the documentary, Pandit and the filmmaker Laura Weisel connected with viewers in a way that made them feel as though they were experiencing his triumphs and challenges with him. Weisel remarked, “Through working with Vikram, I saw the power of music in a way I had never seen it. Music had brought us together as a family, and now it was uniting us in a way I had never experienced. The commonality of our experiences as people with dyslexia gave us a bond that went beyond language.”
While making the film, Weisel had the opportunity to collaborate with Pandit on a track called “Walking Through the World”. The song was used in the documentary as a means of uniting viewers with Latin American culture, as well as the film’s protagonist, who was played by Chilean actor Christian Diaz. In an interview for TED, Diaz described hearing the song for the first time in the film:
“When I first heard the song, I remember being overwhelmed by a wave of emotions. I felt like the people in the video were me, in a way. For me, music is a form of language. It can speak to anyone, anywhere, and at anytime. When I heard that song, it felt as though it was written just for me. I finally felt understood. This song made me feel that there was someone out there who knew my language and could understand me. I knew, even without saying a word, that this was a song that would help me find my way.”
Diaz went on to say that he thinks that “Walking Through the World”, along with other songs from Pandit’s repertoire, can help people who have experienced or are experiencing depression, anxiety, or panic attacks. In an interview for Yahoo Lifestyle, musician, filmmaker, and activist Biz Markie described Kravitz’s involvement in this way:
“It’s not hard to get depressed these days. It seems like every day there’s a tragedy or an issue trending on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. When you add to that the daily news cycles that play on people’s emotions, it’s easy for someone to just collapse under the weight of it all. I think that protest songs can help people who are feeling overwhelmed, because they offer an outlet for the things they’re feeling. A lot of people who heard that song [Walking Through the World] after seeing the film vowed to fight their own battles, because they felt like they could relate. While I don’t want to minimize the very real pain that these men and women were in, the fact is that they were able to channel their anguish and channel it into something positive was incredible.”
Kravitz has expressed interest in becoming more involved in political activism. She has expressed support for Black Lives Matter and opposed the Iraq War. She has also been an advocate for refugees and migrants, working with the U.S. Committee for the Preservation of Iranian Heritage and the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders. According to the organizers of the film festival where Pandit premiered his documentary, the actor has “always been interested in social causes” and was “born into an activist family”. His father was active in the civil rights movement and mother ran for congress as an anti-war candidate in 1968. His sister was a leader in the feminist movement.
How Does This Affect Pattinson?
Last week’s arrest of Kravitz means that actor Robert Pattinson will now have to navigate a brand new landscape in his personal life. Before her arrest, Kravitz was already scheduled to appear in a handful of films and TV shows this year, including co-starring alongside Ben Affleck in the thriller A Private War and playing the female lead in the comedy Life of Crime. While he was in Ireland last month filming on the upcoming James Bond film Spectre, the press was rife with speculation over his future as a single man. Since his split from FKA Twigs, the British singer and songwriter, last May, there have been no reported sightings of Pattinson, who has been mostly sighted on film sets or at the premieres of his films. Kravitz’s arrest may mean that we will finally get our first glimpse of the actor since the breakup of his engagement to Twigs.
Aside from film work, Pattinson has mostly kept a low profile, opting for Instagrammable paparazzi shots and rarely sharing personal details about his life. However, the 33-year-old has always been exceptionally private, even as a child, and has never hidden his disdain for the press. In 2014, he told Vanity Fair: “I really don’t like the attention, and I really don’t like talking about myself. I’d rather sit here and look at your face.” It is unknown how the arrest of Zoe Kravitz will affect Roberts’ professional life. However, with her arrest, this year will undoubtedly be an eventful one for the former couple. After his split from Twigs, who he met while filming the psychological thriller The Loved Ones, in 2010, the world was made aware of Pattinson through his turn in Woody Allen’s acclaimed 2012 movie Midnight in Paris. Allen’s whimsical, dreamlike comedy featured the British actor in a bit part as a famous French novelist. Since then, he has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows and continues to work steadily. Still, nothing will ever truly be the same for the former couple. While we wait for more to become known about Roberts’ life post-Kravitz, here’s a look back at some interesting facts you may not know about the actor:
Robert Pattinson’s Net Worth
While it was initially reported that Zoe Kravitz had been arrested in possession of an illegal substance, this was later changed to her being arrested for “trespassing”. The actress is now facing a maximum of six months in jail and a $500 fine. Even before her arrest, Kravitz was already responsible for some hefty lawsuits, with one being filed by an artist, David Willcock, who alleges that the 33-year-old stole his image and used it in an ad campaign without permission. Another suit was filed by a British model named Amanda Brack, who is seeking €15,000 in damages for “malicious falsehoods”. Another suit, filed by a 24-year-old photographer, alleges that the actor defamed him and stole his image for commercial use. All of these lawsuits were dismissed by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu, except for Willcock’s suit, which is still pending. Additionally, it was recently reported that Kravitz is being sued by the estate of Kurt Cobain for using his likeness in an Instagram post without permission.