Zoë Kravitz defies definition. She contains multitudes and stands fully formed in her beauty, her intelligence, her grace, her humor, her strength. Part maverick, part savant, mostly just … cool. Cool like Dylan. Cool like Cash. Cool like Nina Simone. Forged by the strength and grace of two incredible artists, but made whole by her own grit and intellect. In her performance as Catwoman, you can see it all. She draws in Batman, and the whole audience, as they wait to see if this mysterious creature will show her claws. She does—and they are sharp!

Working with Zoë on Big Little Lies, I discovered her hidden talent: her humor. She made me laugh during endless night shoots and always pushed the comedic tension between our characters onscreen. She brings an edgy humor to all her work—and to dinner parties, if you’re looking for a perfect guest.

It would be very easy for Zoë to walk through the world in a different way, entitled and accomplished. But that’s not her style. She chooses the path of hard work, constantly innovating and pushing the status quo. She hustles, writes her own scripts, stays up all night until the job is done. I’ve watched it up close, and it never ceases to amaze me.

Zoë has done so much in her career thus far, but what I’m most excited about is all that is coming next. Directing, producing, cutting her own path. But always her way. Always cool.

Witherspoon is an Oscar-winning actor and Emmy-winning producer

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