Zoe Kravitz Opens Up About Her 'Really Awkward' Phase

Zoe Kravitz graces the cover of Elle UK‘s December 2018 issue, on sale beginning on November 13.

Here’s what the 29-year-old Big Little Lies actress had to say…

On being disappointed by the roles available to black women: “You read scripts and you’re like, ‘Where is my story?’ Often, the parts written for women are accessories to men’s stories, and parts written for any kind of minority are an accessory to a white person’s story. A script will point out that a character is African-American, and you know how she’s going to talk. She’s going to add some attitude for something. It’s just about creating characters for women and people of color who feel like real people, who feel complicated and honest – not just used to further a white person’s story.”

On Big Little Lies encouraging women to unite and stand up for themselves: “That was something people wanted: women standing up for themselves and standing up for each other. There was some kind of collective consciousness going on, because the Me Too movement happened right after.”

On overcoming her insecurities: “I went through a really awkward phase. I was short and brown, surrounded by tall girls with boobs and blonde hair. And my dad was dating supermodels, so I was waking up to Adriana Lima. I didn’t have beauty as a crutch, and I’m thankful for that because I had to develop my personality.”

For more from Zoe, visit Elle.com/uk.