Zoë Kravitz Defends Her Love for Roman Polanski's Films

Zoë Kravitz keeps hitting it out of the ballpark with every interview. I love this gal. She’s about to unleash her “Pussy Island” theatrically next week, and with this debut comes a lot of press.

In a newly published interview, Kravitz is telling Esquire that she doesn’t give a f*ck if you hate Roman Polanski, his great films are what matters to her. Kravitz specifically cites her admiration for “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Tenant,” which she says are two of her all-time favorite films.

Kravitz admits that her stance is “controversial,” but adds that she has no difficulty separating the art from the artist. “It’s okay that somebody bad was involved in something good,” she says by way of explanation. “What are we supposed to do, get rid of America?”

She’s right. What are we supposed to do, exactly? Just pretend that “Chinatown,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Repulsion,” “The Tenant,” “The Ghost Writer,” “An Officer And A Spy,” “Tess,” and “The Pianist” never existed? F*ck that.

Polanski is without a doubt one of the great European filmmakers. Too bad his issues nearly ruined his life and career. Controversy followed him everywhere he went and, for many, there’s no escaping the dirty baggage— they refuse to watch any of his films.

Cannes and Venice have consistently defended Polanski’s works. Here’s Venice boss, Alberto Barbera, in a 2023 interview, defending the inclusion of Polanski’s latest film, “The Palace,” inside that year’s lineup:

Polanski is one of the last great masters of European cinema. He made huge mistakes 50 years ago. He recognised that he was guilty [in the case involving the 13-year-old]. He asked to be forgiven by the victim, and the victim gave her forgiveness. I’m not a judge who is asked to make a judgment about the bad behaviour of someone. I’m a film critic, my job is judging the quality of his films. But of course, it’s a very difficult situation.

Barbera stressed that distinctions must be made “between the man and the artist. We can still admire their work. I’m pretty sure in some decades’ time, everyone will have forgotten about the history of the rape from Polanski, but they will still admire his films.”

Later in the interview, Kravitz goes on to namecheck Tarantino, PTA, Fincher, Scorsese and the Coen brothers as influences. The girl’s got taste.