But even though Bonet may have faced these issues in existing as who she was, that didn’t mean that she wasn’t still extremely popular with an enormous fan base. In fact, one of those fans in particular just so happens to be the man she ended up marrying. Her playing Denise on the show led to an 8-year old Jason Momoa discovering his future wife.
The actor knew immediately, even at such a young age, that he wanted to end up with her. He claims to have even pointed at the TV and told his mother, “I want that one.” And he wasn’t going to quit until he made his dreams into his reality – and that’s exactly what he did, once given the opportunity to connect with his dream girl.
Black and White
Bonet has openly spoken up about her experience growing up mixed in a different day and age. Even today, actors and actresses in Hollywood fight against typecasting and stereotypes, such as Zoë revealed in her quest to audition for 'The Dark Knight'.
Apparently, she wasn’t allowed to try out for the role because filmmakers didn’t want to go in an “urban” direction. And Bonet’s experience wasn’t much different, yet she also at points felt uneasy, even around her mother’s side of the family.
Different Times, Same Struggles
'The Cosby Show' actress revealed that she often shut down and “internalized” everything she was feeling about her mixed-race and landing roles. She said it best when she said that the world just “wasn’t ready.”
But even today, Zoë finds herself dealing with the same types of issues. The actress questioned why it seems as though “stories can only happen to white people and everyone else is a punchline.”
Lilakoi
Just a couple of years after her divorce from Lenny Kravitz, in 1995, Bonet made the interesting choice to legally change her name. She went to the courthouse and signed all of the paperwork to become Lilakoi Moon. As far as the credits for her on TV, however, she continued to use her more recognizable (former) name.
When asked about why she decided to make the switch at all, she said it was because of “privacy reasons.”
Meet You in Paradise
Interestingly, the name she chose sounds Hawaiian, and not long after changing her name she would meet someone from Hawaii that would change the course of her life forever. Yes, you guessed it: the Aquaman hunk himself was born in Hawaii and lived there throughout the course of his young life.
Before becoming the actor we all know and love, he was studying to become a marine biologist, and later transferred his major to wildlife biology in school. He started out his college years in Iowa but then moved to Colorado State. In 1999, Momoa got his foot in the door of the acting world when he landed a role in 'Baywatch: Hawaii'.