Zendaya has previously expressed frustration at the media’s seeming obsession with who she kisses on-screen, calling it a “weird” obsession in an interview after she deftly sidestepped answering who was the better kisser of her ‘Challengers’ co-stars, Mike Faist or Josh O’Connor.
She may not be willing to tell you who the better kisser is, but Zendaya is willing to open up about the most talked about scene in her new movie Challengers, even before it came out — that so-called “threesome” with co-stars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor.
Whlie not a sex scene, per se, it is an intimate scene that does involve kissing and does involve all three of them on the same bed. In a new interview with The Sun, Zendaya opened up about filming the scene, and how “lucky” she felt.
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Zendaya Thinks Media Obsession with Kissing Scenes Is ‘Weird’ After Awkward ‘Best Kisser’ Question
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Obviously, such a vulnerable scene — even with minimal crew on set — can be emotionally challenging for any star, but Zendaya has nothing but praise for Faist and O’Connor as they shared that moment with her.
While answering a question about building that level of believable chemistry with people you’ve maybe only met a few weeks or months before, Zendaya said, “Well, I think I got lucky that they’re both just lovely guys. They were kind and generous with their work and their time, so that made it easy.”
She also gave credit to the preparation work all three actors had to do before filming even began on the film, as their training in tennis helped them develop a genuine bond.
Challengers follows the story of tennis hopeful Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), who finds herself at the center of a love triangle with two friends and fellow athletes, Art (Faist) and Patrick (O’Connor).
When a serious injury forces Tashi to give up her career, she decides to become Art’s coach — as the pair have since gotten married. After a series of winning matches, she wants to enroll Art in the Challenger Tour, in which she will have to face Patrick, her ex-boyfriend. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.
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“We had a tremendous amount of tennis training, we worked out beside each other,” she explained. “We did tennis training and we had rehearsal time, which is a privilege, you know, to be able to have that time to talk about the characters and really dig into it. And that just created more of a safety net.”
In her first interview about the film, which Variety held back as its cover story until this weekend, Zendaya said that they’d spend their mornings training for hours, then they’d work out together and then it was time for rehearsals.
“It felt like summer camp,” she said of the rare film experience. “Having space to rehearse is really special, because often you don’t have that time to dig into the material, ask questions, play around, get to know the characters, get to know your fellow actors.”
When it came time to film the actual scene, Zendaya told Variety she was “having a great day” heading into it because Beyoncé had just dropped her “Break My Soul” single. She said the trio was also extremely prepared.
“We had rehearsed the dialogue of all the scenes prior. All of us had discussed our characters and had shared space with each other. We’d all been in P.E. class every day with each other,” she said. “So by that point, we were all very comfortable and felt very safe with each other.”
She also praised what her scene partners brought to that moment. “They bring something new and dynamic to a scene, you’re like, ‘Oh s–t, okay, let me really focus,'” she explained.
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Zendaya Calls Intimacy Coordinator ‘Very Helpful’ on Challengers Set: ‘Important That We Felt Safe’
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“They’re really talented, but also really lovely people,” she added. “There’s this level of safety and support that you have with your fellow actors that makes sure that you can make your best work. I felt very supported by them. It was another day at the office.”
The Euphoria star also offered praise for the film’s intimacy coordinator “which was fantastic and very helpful, because it was important that we felt safe,” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Roma.
She also still did not break down any of the kissing, or compare her co-stars abilities in that area, as one interviewer asked her a couple of weeks ago.
In a follow-up interview with Jake Hamilton on his Jake’s Takes YouTube channel, Zendaya acknowledged how “weird” it is that the media seems obsessed with asking her this question about on-screen kisses, which she’s been facing since her Disney days.
“I feel like for a hundred years actors have been kissing other actors on the screen,” Hamilton said to his guest. “It’s literally a part of your job. You play a role that requires kissing, it’s a thing that you have to do.”
“I don’t know if it’s because they want it to be a viral thing, I don’t know,” she replied. “But I have noticed that, with me specifically. I feel like other actors don’t — If you were with somebody else here, you probably wouldn’t be asked that question.”
“But, yeah, it is a part of my job, and it is a completely normal part of the job, I think, despite other people’s perceptions of our job,” Zendaya added, thanking Hamilton for bringing the topic to light because she’s found being questioned about it so much “weird.”
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Fans hoping for a genuine sex scene, though, may find themselves disappointed as Zendaya had previously said the film just doesn’t have them. Instead, they used tennis to represent that passion and tension.
“We keep saying tennis is the sex in the movie, and I think tennis holds a metaphor for a lot of things: desires, passion, pain, anger, frustration,” she told People earlier this month. “I think they all use tennis as this way of communicating with each other when they just don’t have the words.”
She further expressed to The Sun that she hopes audiences go into the film with an “open mind,” despite all the pre-premiere buzz. In particular, she wants them to know her character is intentionally “complex, messy and confusing,” which might make her a more challenging heroine.
“I didn’t just want her to be one-dimensional or one-faceted,” she told the outlet. “I wanted to explore all the sides of this very, very complicated woman and all the nuance that comes along with her. It was so fun, such a dream.”
The actress also told Variety that she found herself enjoying the role of producer so much on Challengers, and fully expects to take the reins as director one day.
“That’s why I like producing, because I like learning from different directors. I love the process of filmmaking and watching people work,” she said. “When I was doing ‘Dune,’ I’d ask questions. I’d be there when I’m not technically shooting. So one day, when the time is right, when the story is right.
For now, fans can enjoy her work as star and producer of Challengers, screening now in theaters.
