Zoë Kravitz reinvented the comedic romantic whirlwind of young Rob in her new original 10-episode Hulu series, “High Fidelity.” Kravitz is both the executive producer and star trying to navigate the single life after a multitude of failed relationships.
Kravitz is a 31-year-old actress, singer, model and the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet. She is known for her performances in “X-Men: First Class,” “Divergent” and her character as Bonnie Carlson in “Big Little Lies.”
Kravitz was inspired by the 1995 novel, “High Fidelity,” written by bestselling author Nick Hornby and the 2000 movie adaptation starring John Cusack. The dark comedy novel is set in the ‘60s and is based on the love endeavors of the male protagonist, Rob. It is a rollercoaster of break-ups, make-ups and struggling with the concept of “love.”
Kravitz fell in love with the idea of recreating the original “High Fidelity” but with a female lead instead of a male, like in the other adaptations.
Kravitz took the time to meet with the original creator, Nick Hornby, and received his blessing to continue on with the show.
In the novel, Rob lived in Los Angeles and worked at a radio station. Yet, in the TV show, Kravitz was intentional in moving the female “Rob” character to New York and owning Championship Vinyl, an eclectic basement record shop.
The pilot aired on Valentine’s Day, 2020. It began with Kravitz, a.k.a. Rob, experiencing an awful breakup with the charming and somewhat perfect Mac. A year passed, and her brother egged her on to get back into the dating world.
Heartbroken Rob began listing off her top five break-ups and explaining them to the viewers, accompanied by flashbacks. The list included women and men. Kravitz did not want this to seem like she was trying to weave in “wokeness,” but rather a cast that looked and felt real.
The rest of the series reveals a string of episodes in which Rob sets off to find all of her past five break-ups to ask them what she did wrong so she can reflect on why she seems undateable.
The television show emphasizes iconic music that was displayed in the original movie, such as Prince, the Beta Band and Michael Jackson. A heated debate between Rob and her Tinder date plays over Fleetwood Mac in the first episode.
The Hulu series depicts a journey of a young woman of color using her past experiences to lead her to an expedition of self-discovery and improvement.
Kravitz’s goal was to recreate the world that she knew and to emphasize the range of demographics that surround her in everyday life. The TV show may depict Kravitz playing a gender-flipped lead with a diverse cast set in the 21st century, but the Hulu mini-series still directly relates to the main themes of Hornby.
