The friendship between Lola Kirke and Zoë Kravitz began with a “falling in.” The pair first crossed paths as young New Yorkers—Kirke was 19, and Kravitz 21—when they found themselves in the middle of a youthful love triangle. But that’s ancient history now: in the intervening decade, Kirke established a steady career in film, which included roles in Mozart in The Jungle, Mistress America, and Gone Girl; while Kravitz tried her hand at screenwriting and film direction. The two actors also became close friends, to the point where Kravitz, now 31, was one of the first people to hear an early draft of Kirke’s sophomore record last summer. Lady for Sale, out last Friday, is the glitzy lovechild of country and disco that Kirke always dreamed of making, but that doesn’t make it any easier for the artist to release it. Here, Kravitz, a musician herself, asks Kirke a few questions about good art, bad reviews, and fake orgies.
ZOË KRAVITZ: We’ve never zoomed.
LOLA KIRKE: We’ve never zoomed. You look great on here.
KRAVITZ: You look blurry.
KIRKE: Oh, my camera’s really dirty. Are you at your grandmother’s house?
KRAVITZ: No, I’m in London where it always looks like somebody’s grandma’s house.
KIRKE: Literally.
KRAVITZ: You can’t go anywhere without seeing a floral print. Sup dude! How you doin’?
KIRKE: I’m a bit sleepy and Santino’s a bit needy, but other than that—
KRAVITZ: So, is it okay if like 90 percent of my questions are about Santino [Kirke’s dog]?
KIRKE: 100 percent. Santino, say hi!
KRAVITZ: My baby! Oh, my goodness. You love me.
KIRKE: He does. He really does. He says he’ll text you later.
KRAVITZ: Okay, he always says that, but I know he’s kind of a player. So, I’ve been given some questions and I wrote some of my own, and we can just see how we go. How did we first meet?
KIRKE: Is it okay to say that I considered you an enemy for many years? [Both laugh] I will say, the journey from enemy to dear friend has been one of the most affirming of my life. To go from not liking someone so much to being so close—I consider you one of the smartest, coolest people I’ve ever met, and it gives me faith that first impressions can be dead wrong.
KRAVITZ: I mean, in your defense, it wasn’t even that you were wrong. We had quite a complicated beginning of a friendship that included a love triangle. That’s all I’ll say. I’m using love loosely, but a triangle. In our 20s in New York City.
KIRKE: I mean, I was actually a teenager.
KRAVITZ: God damnit. I was like, what, 21?
KIRKE: You must have been 20 and I was like 19, which is basically a grown up in New York.
KRAVITZ: How old are you now?
KIRKE: 40? [Both laugh] I’m 31.
KRAVITZ: Yeah, I’m 33. But that song “The Crime,” on your album, is about the person that we had our falling out with.
KIRKE: Our “falling in” really. So yes, that’s how we met.
KRAVITZ: The next question that I wrote down is: how are you?
KIRKE: I’m feeling really good today. I don’t know why, because I’m really, really tired. I’ve had an intense week of like, ego death. I shot a four day group sex scene and broke my foot.
KRAVITZ: Actually?
KIRKE: No, sorry, that’s a gross overstatement—I’m kind of limping. And in between takes of getting pounded at a fake orgy, I kept running upstairs and making sure that my entire music business wasn’t collapsing. I couldn’t let myself take any breaks, because then everything would fall apart—
KRAVITZ: Meaning you couldn’t just focus on one thing at a time?
KIRKE: Yeah, which makes me think I have mild to severe ADHD.
KRAVITZ: You’re a hard worker.
KIRKE: I’m good though. It’s hard to be miserable when it’s springtime in New York.
KRAVITZ: New York is just my favorite place. I’m very upset that you’re not there all the time anymore.
KIRKE: I know, but neither are you Zoë, let’s be real. You’re at your grandmother’s house in London right now.
KRAVITZ: Look, I go where Grandma goes, you know what I’m saying? Okay, the next question I have is: what’s your hope for today?
KIRKE: That’s so cute. My hope for today is that I can maintain the optimism I woke up with.
KRAVITZ: By evening you will be having a martini.
KIRKE: I’m doing a night shoot tonight. So, by evening I’ll be—
KRAVITZ: —Getting pounded?
KIRKE: By a man with a thing over his penis so that I can’t actually feel it.
KRAVITZ: [Laughs] Oh, no.
Full interview: interviewmagazine.com
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