Zendaya has been dominating the box office with her stellar performances and versatility. Starting as a child actress, the Dune star has come a long way from her ‘child-like’ image and taken up more ‘grown-up’ roles. However, her real encounter with fame came along when she starred opposite her boyfriend Tom Holland in the Spider-Man movies.
Starring in a superhero movie is in itself a challenge, but it is not so much for Zendaya. The Euphoria star was truly pushed out of her comfort zone into unfamiliar territory by her yet-to-be-released movie, Challengers.
Zendaya On Why She Chose Challengers
Zendaya, so far, has had an incredible career. From being a Disney star to Tom Holland‘s MJ in the Spider-Man movies, the actress has portrayed multiple roles transcending genres. From being a child actress to taking on more ‘challenging’ roles, Zendaya has grown a lot as an actress within a span of years.
The entertainment realm is a land of vast amounts of possibilities. Thus, eager to break from her ‘Disney’ image, Zendaya decided to star as the seductive character of Tashi in her next movie, Challengers. Describing it as her first time playing a leading lady, the actress stated,
“I felt like it was a good step into a more, I guess you could say, ‘grown-up’ role and into that next phase.”
However eager to take on the role, the Spider-Man actress felt it was too scary a decision.
“It was a little bit scary to take on, which I think is a good feeling. To be like, ‘Ooh, can I do this?’ You could run from that feeling and stay safe and comfortable, or you can go, ‘You know what, f*ck it.’”
Zendaya decided to take the latter path and seems to already have broken her ‘child-like’ image as is evident in the trailer.
Zendaya Doesn’t Understand Her Challenger’s Character
Zendaya has been more than exceptional so far in her acting. Despite the impressive portfolio she holds, she was faced with the uncertain challenge of portraying a character she doesn’t understand. Thus, she was understandably scared to portray a character that pushed her too far out of her comfort territory with her enigmatic persona.
“I still don’t understand the decisions she makes, and we had so many conversations about the psychology of her and why she is that way.”
Even with the mystery surrounding her character, Zendaya felt she understood her on some level, and hence decided to portray her.
“What was important to me was that she was unapologetic about it. Sometimes characters who are messy and conflicted and wield power over other people are reserved for [actors] who don’t look like me, so when I get an opportunity to play a character like that, I’ma take it!”
Despite the odds and challenges, she is just as eager as her fans for her upcoming movie which is scheduled to release on April 26, 2024.
Source: Elle
