Zendaya said she was “lucky” to be partnered with co-stars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor to film the steamy scenes in her upcoming movie, “Challengers.”
In the gripping narrative of love and rivalry, Zendaya portrays the character Tashi Duncan, a once-celebrated tennis prodigy, who gets caught up in a heated and complex love triangle in the film that premieres on April 26.
The life of Zendaya’s character takes a dramatic turn when her husband, a faltering tennis champion, must compete against his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.
Zendaya’s character explores a complex love triangle in the upcoming film, “Challengers”
Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
Not only did Zendaya play the lead character in the Luca Guadagnino-directed film, but she also took on the role of being the producer for “Challengers.”
“It’s a complicated, sexy and interesting character piece,” Zendaya told Mirror about the film. “When I read the script, I loved it. And even now, every time I watch the movie, I question Tashi’s decisions a little more. It’s one of those stories about the choices we make and their consequences. It’s fascinating as everyone will find themselves empathising with a different character. Everyone has their own idea of who the bad guy is.”
The actress said she was “lucky” to be “partnered” with her co-stars, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, for the intimate scenes
Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
Zendaya spoke about the intimate scenes in “Challengers” and said it was an “exciting creative process” to work with Luca and her co-stars.
“Tashi is extremely driven. She’s a go-getter and she is totally ruthless. The intimate scenes were so good – I loved it. I felt very lucky to be partnered with those guys,” the Dune star told the outlet.
“And whatever the moment, it always felt like they always had my back and I had theirs. We were so lucky to have a director in Luca Guadagnino who really encouraged us all to collaborate and to bring our own ideas. It was a really exciting creative process,” she continued.
Zendaya said she faced “great difficulty” in meeting the physical challenges of playing the character of Tashi Duncan, a once-celebrated tennis prodigy
Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Greatest Showman actress also spoke about the “great difficulty” that came with meeting the physical challenges of playing Tashi.
“How did I meet the physical challenges of the role? With great difficulty. I am not one of these people who love to work out,” she said. “But Tashi is supposed to be a top athlete, so there was no getting around it.”
As the actress appeared on an interview to promote the movie, she was asked an awkward question about which of her co-stars is the better kisser, sparking quite the rage on the internet.