Photo credit: The Weinstein Company
“I’m very fortunate to be four-for-four in the movie world,” Kravitz quietly says, mentioning Precious, two installments of The Hunger Games, and now Lee Daniels’ The Butler, the sweeping true story of a plantation worker who becomes chief White House butler to eight Presidents of the 20th century, in theaters today.
“I’m just taking it slow and making the decisions that I think are right for me, doing these supporting roles, working with great artists, and learning, getting the experience I need.” One could say that Kravitz’s entire life is about getting the experience he needs: The artist is driven by curiosity and passion, reconstructing life lessons into a body of work that is galvanizing, tuneful, and—most importantly—booty-shaking.
Here, in his own words, Kravitz shares his tips for living his best life—and how you can follow suit.
1. Be Willing to Adapt
“This guy I play in The Butler, he’s got a certain duality. He lives in two worlds, and in one of them—the White House—he’s meant to be unseen and unheard. It’s his job to sort of disappear into the walls, to serve. At the same time, he’s smart and he’s not afraid to speak his mind. That’s my life story, man. Being between two different cultures and two different worlds—white and black, Christian and Jewish—I grew up in that way, having to be comfortable and fit into different worlds. I’m still that way. I’m just as comfortable talking to the President as I am a homeless guy on the street. You’ve got to be into people.”
2. Start Your Day Strong
“You wake up every day and you say, ‘Okay, I’m going to be happy today. I’m going to be thankful today. I’m going to be inspired today.’ Or you don’t. The choice is yours.”
3. Be the Better Man
“I believe in God, and I’m trying to always to be a better man. Today, I was in my hotel waiting for the elevator and this old man started yelling at me. He wanted to get on the elevator and in his mind, though I was standing against the wall, I was somehow in his way. He just started yelling at me. At that moment, you have a choice to make: you can yell back, you can curse him. But I said, ‘Oh, sir. God bless you. Have a beautiful day.’ Which just pissed him off more. [Laughs] He just kept yelling at me. But you have a choice, always, about how you’re going to behave and what kind of point of view and action you’re going to live.”
4. Love What You’ve Got
“I appreciate the blessings that I have. I don’t have a sense of entitlement. I don’t take anything for granted. I’m not owed anything in this life. Having appreciation is a gift unto itself. There are a lot of people I see who have everything—no limit, everything—and many of them have no gratitude for it and they don’t enjoy anything. That’s horrible. ‘I’ll be happy when. . .’ is a death sentence, man. You’d better be happy now! You can’t wait for the job or the house or the woman. Love what you’ve got.”
5. Follow Your Body
“I was vegetarian for many, many years, but I woke up one day craving meat. After, like, 15 years, I woke up and it was, like, ‘I need meat.’ So I followed my body. I did the whole grass-fed, organic, best-quality thing. Now I’m eating more vegetables and fish, especially being in the Bahamas so many months of the year. I have my own organic farm and I eat fish. Eat light. Eat four or five little meals a day, even if a couple of them are juices or shakes. I do a lot of coconut water. You’ve gotta take care of your body.”
6. Be Cool (and Be Friends with Robert Plant)
“I’ve heard this advice from two people in my life—one was my mother and one was Robert Plant. It sounds cliché and it sounds really simple, but two important people in my life told me the same thing: Don’t take life so seriously. They used bigger words and fancier sentences, but that’s what it boils down to: take the ride, let go, don’t control things, just ride the wave with a smile on your face. Those are some real words of wisdom.”
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