Why Zoë Kravitz Was “Uncomfortable” Filming Big Little Lies

Zoë Kravitz could relate to her Big Little Lies character in more ways than one.

Like Bonnie Carlson, the Batman actress felt like an outsider in the sleepy town of Monterey, Calif., where the HBO series was filmed. “There were a few moments where I felt a little uncomfortable,” she told The Guardian in an interview published Sunday, March 6, “because it is such a white area.”

When pressed for details on her experience, she said there were “just weird racist people in bars and things like that.”

In the series, directed by the late Jean Marc-Vallée, multiple characters treated the much-younger Bonnie with contempt over her relationship with Nathan Carlson (James Tupper), ex-husband of queen bee Madeline Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon). She was isolated from the rest of the mothers, and Zoë noted that she was drawn to the role because of its complexities, adding that the role “was originally written for a white person.”