'High Fidelity': Zoë Kravitz's Robin Brooks is a relevant shadow and addition to John Cusack's Rob Gordon
The article contains major spoilers for the Hulu series 'High Fidelity' (2020)
In 2018, ABC Signature Studios announced that it would do a TV series adaptation of 'High Fidelity' based on Nick Hornby's 1995 novel. The novel was originally adapted into a movie of the same name in 2000 starring the ever-jarring John Cusack as Rob Gordon. The series, on the other hand, sees the movie alumni Lisa Bonet's daughterZoë Kravitz as the gender-flipped Robin Brooks.
It only seems natural that as fans of the classic original adaption in 2000, we consciously compare the delivery by both Cusack and Kravtiz. Our conclusion? Kravitz manages to take the rendition of the classic character and merge it with modern culture and pop music, making her delivery a perfect shadowy remnant of Cusack's impressive performance.
After her role in 'Big Little Lies', Kravitz, who also produced the Hulu series, has got the chance to portray a character whos emotions depend on the loyalty of great music. She manages to bring about the self-loathing and notoriously rough characteristics of Cusack's performance leaving a subtle reference to an original character. Evoking emotions through her look-straight-into-the-camera formidable scenes, she is able to bring a level of depth perception to a character that is in conflict with itself.
Cusack's boyish antics in the film instantly had you wanting to throw darts at his face and while the narrative of the character stays the same, Kravitz evokes a different perspective on love lost as a female lead. Kravitz plays the lead role with a negative warmth of sorts - she may be messed up, but we love her! “Surprisingly, I don’t think the character has changed much. Of course, it’s my own interpretation, but the heart of the character is very much the same. Changing the character from male to female did not change the kind of person we are dealing with," said the actress.
Cusack's performance in 2000 created a version of the narrative that people at that time would have and would relate to. However, in this day and era, we have voices demanding adequate representation in the entertainment industry. While Cusack's Rob will always represent the beginning of bringing Hornby's fiction to the world, Kravitz has created a series through which a new path can be paved for more possible interpretations of innumerable classics with the inclusion of fundamental social, economic and political relevance. The intensity of positive representation can be seen with the tribute to 90s bands with hipster graphic T-shirts, right?
'High Fidelity' premiered on February 14, 2020, and all episodes are now streaming on Hulu.