Despite the praise for Zoë Kravitz’s performance in The Batman (though not as “watershed” as Jeffrey Wright playing Gordon, being that other women of color have already stepped into the catsuit), it doesn’t take many scenes to immediately assess that, above all, there still ain’t no Catwoman like Michelle Pfeiffer’s from 1992’s Batman Returns. Beyond the fact that Pfeiffer had the benefit of Tim Burton’s kitsch sensibilities as a director to enable her to lend multilayered dimension to a “sex kitten,” complete with a commentary on misogyny, she also, quite simply, rocked a better look than Kravitz’s “modern” one. And no, that’s not code for what the casting director of The Dark Knight Rises said when Kravitz first tried to land the part of Catwoman back in 2012: that she was “too urban.” A “euphemism” we all know means too Black. The part thusly went to lily-white Anne Hathaway instead. Who is, let’s face it, the lamest Catwoman in that she’s billed merely as a “cat burglar” and wears a rinky-dink face mask as part of her costume.
In this case, Kravitz would have likely been a welcome addition to the cast in lieu of Hathaway, but apparently, Marion Cotillard was the most “ethnic” the film was willing to get in 2012. Incidentally, David S. Goyer, the writer of Christopher Nolan’s previous installments in the trilogy, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, was averse to including Catwoman in either of the films because Pfeiffer had already portrayed her in the Burton ones. And obviously, he could see the performance was too iconic to tamper with. Unfortunately, Goyer was not the writer for The Dark Knight Rises, ergo a sudden openness to reingratiating the character back into the mix.
As for Kravitz being “too urban” at the time, another phrase that would never dare be used is “too privileged.” What with being Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz’s ready-made celebrity daughter. Commenting on the casting slight now, Kravitz stated, “I don’t know if it came directly from Chris Nolan. I think it was probably a casting director of some kind or a casting director’s assistant… Being a woman of color and being an actor and being told at that time that I wasn’t able to read because of the color of my skin, and the word ‘urban’ being thrown around like that, that was what was really hard about that moment.” But vindication is sweet, and something Catwoman herself is all about. At least when portrayed correctly by Pfeiffer, who is also able to distinctly convey the duality between Selina Kyle and her alter ego. The former being mousy and passive, while the latter is fierce and untamable. Halle Berry knew how to get that across as well, even for as panned as 2004’s Catwoman was. Berry, too, was able to exude the meekness of a woman who was just waiting for some greater force to possess her and turn her into the bad bitch she was always meant to be. With Kravitz, there is none of that passive vs. fierce duality the character has always been known for.
And Kravitz’s Catwoman surely isn’t known for much when it comes to memorable dialogue either. Not like Pfeiffer, who, among many famous lines from Batman Returns, offers, “Life’s a bitch, now so am I.” Or “Honey, I’m home. Oh, I forgot I’m not married.” She then steps into the apartment, whereupon her cat, Ms. Kitty, comes in through the window. Jealous of her feline’s confident aura, Selina asks, “Ms. Kitty. Back from more sexual escapades you refuse to share?” She then listens to the messages on her answering machine: one from Mother, one from a sort-of boyfriend who bails on their Christmas plans, one from Gotham Lady perfume and one from herself—reminding her she has to go back to Max Shreck’s (Christopher Walken) office to pull the file on Bruce Wayne. This subservience vaguely masquerading as “industriousness” is what’s missing from Kravitz’s interpretation of the character, the first to get taken out of the day job office setting in favor of a “nightclub” one called The Iceberg Lounge. Though it’s more like an elitist gentlemen’s club once you get to “the real club” inside of it: The 44 Below. That’s where Selina used to spend most of her time “waitressing” before she began to shy away from it, ostensibly because of being “scandalized” by the corrupt clientele down there. Which includes the likes of her own crime boss father, Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).
And yet, because of her “spark” with Batman—and because the two are trying to suss out a common enemy for different reasons—she agrees to don his camera contact lenses to do some recon on Gotham’s most influential players, who all happen to be in bed with the mafiosi of the city (just another way in which Gotham is meant to mirror some version of 70s/80s-era NY). This means going in with a full-tilt Natalie Portman-as-a-stripper-in-Closer mode, topped off by a pink bob of a wig and everything.
As for the various “costumes” we see Kravitz’s Catwoman in, they’re no match for Pfeiffer’s more classic representation of the signature black latex catsuit—including the white stitching on full jank display. Because yes, Burton’s Selina even has to sew her own uniform, unlike other Catwomen who seem to have ready-made ensembles. Perhaps that’s why Kravitz’s looks are largely forgettable, even in comparison to Anne Hathaway’s, who provides a seeming homage to Lee Meriweather’s.
The fact that Burton has a camp sensibility that was taken more seriously in 1992 as opposed to being outright misunderstood in the present also meant that Pfeiffer could deliver her lines with true comic book flair. This includes the moment when she finishes sewing her new outfit. “I don’t know about you Ms. Kitty, but I feel so much yummier,” Catwoman declares against the backdrop of the neon pink sign that now reads “Hell Here” instead of “Hello There.”
Her vampy style and intonation plays well with sarcastic lines like, “I just love a big strong man who’s not afraid to show it with someone who’s half his size.” This said as she goads a mugger attacking a woman in an alley. Then there are other pro-feminist statements such as, “I am Catwoman. Hear me roar.” The fact that she doesn’t feel obliged to work with any of the goonish men—Batman included—who end up fucking her over when she deigns to trust them is also something that separates her from other Catwomen. To boot, her dynamic with Michael Keaton’s Batman is far more sexually charged than whatever is going on with Pattinson’s and Kravitz’s. For their chemistry is marred by Matt Reeves’ au courant need to make Selina into some kind of “tutor” for a privileged white boy beneath the mask like Bruce Wayne. To show him how divergent his life has been from someone like her, just trying to survive without the boon of a trust fund.
What also uniquely separates the dynamic between Batman and Catwoman in Batman Returns is that the two actually unearth one another’s identities. In contrast, Kravitz’s Catwoman never actually finds out who the real Batman is. And if she did, she’d likely be totally turned off by the knowledge he’s just some rich puto with a savior complex. In 1992, before it was practically essential to call out white men for being assholes and/or affluent, Selina’s only comment about Bruce’s station in life is, “Doesn’t the gold-plated bachelor bit get a little stale?” Toward the end of Batman Returns, it’s then Batman (after realizing Selina and Catwoman are one and the same) who tries to convince Catwoman of being together, not the other way around—as is the case in The Batman, when Kravitz’s Selina invites Batman to join her in fleeing Gotham. Conversely, Keaton’s Batman does the cajoling for Pfeiffer’s Catwoman by taking off his mask and revealing his identity to her before adding, “Don’t you see? We’re the same. We’re the same.”
The climate being what it is, many would say it’s somehow racist to place Pfeiffer’s Catwoman on a higher pedestal (which isn’t the case as there’s no denying Kravitz has one-upped Anne Hathaway), and that Kravitz provides a much-needed update to the character—including the bisexual slant she gives it. But truly, nothing compares to Pfeiffer, who has made the role all but untouchable. Of course, that doesn’t mean that many women of all colors even after Kravitz will still try to touch that greatness—perhaps prompting an internal hissing sound from Pfeiffer. Or Madonna, who was a contender for the Burton role.
As for that original snub from 2012, Kravitz would go on to comment, “The idea of certain actors not being able to play a certain part because you’re not that thing in real life, I think that’s really dangerous. Because I don’t know what acting is, if we’re not allowed to play someone. It’s about empathy. It’s about stepping outside yourself.” Of course, that doesn’t seem to apply when, say, Scarlett Johansson wants to play a trans man. And no one seems to think it’s “offensive” for non-white Ana de Armas to be playing Marilyn Monroe. But again, it’s all about what’s politically au courant in Hollywood casting. Regardless, Pfeiffer will be timeless as an OG Catwoman no matter how many new installments are created.
