Zendaya reveals how her parents felt watching her three-way scene in 'Challengers': "I forewarned them..."
Zendaya isn’t afraid to take on bold roles, and her performance in this year’s movie 'Challengers' is proof of that. Playing the lead role of Tashi Duncan, Zendaya found herself in a passionate love triangle that led to a steamy three-way kiss scene with co-stars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor. While the scene got fans talking, Zendaya was more concerned about how her family would react to it.
In 'Challengers', Zendaya’s character Tashi is a fiercely competitive tennis player who stops at nothing to get what she wants. It was during the film's premiere that Zendaya's family got their first look at the R-rated movie but it seems the actress had warned them about the more risqué scenes. During an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live', the actress recalled that moment.
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“Well, they know it’s a Rated-R movie, so I was like, you know, walking into this, ‘if you can’t handle the heat, get out the kitchen,’” Zendaya explained. Despite her warning, the reactions from her family turned out to be one of the funniest parts of the night for the actress. She continued, “I forewarned them. It was honestly my favorite part of the night,” she said with a laugh. “Cause I’ve seen the movie many times. I know when the scenes are coming, so basically when those scenes were happening, I just was watching my family because they were behind me. It was hilarious.” Zendaya shared that watching her family’s growing discomfort was priceless.
“They visibly got slowly more uncomfortable,” she said. Even her 18-year-old nieces, who were at the screening, couldn’t hide how awkward they felt. “It was my favorite part of the night,” Zendaya joked.
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While her family’s reaction amused her, the actress admitted there was someone else in the audience who made her more nervous. Tennis icon Venus Williams attended the premiere, and Zendaya confessed to feeling “terrified” about what Williams would think of her playing a tennis star on screen. Interestingly, while she had concerns about the tennis aspect of the role, Zendaya found shooting the intimate scenes with Faist and O’Connor to be a much easier experience.
“Tashi is extremely driven. She’s a go-getter, and she is totally ruthless,” Zendaya explained, speaking to The Mirror, she shared how much she enjoyed collaborating with her co-stars. She added, “The intimate scenes were so good, I loved it. I felt very lucky to be partnered with those guys.”
She credited director Luca Guadagnino for creating a supportive and collaborative environment on set. “Whatever the moment, it always felt like they always had my back, and I had theirs,” she said, adding, “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.”
“Hopefully, we did a good job, and people won’t be too upset,” she continued, “But I’m not about to give up the day job, that’s for sure!” Between steamy love triangles and tennis matches, 'Challengers' sure proved to be a unique experience for Zendaya and an unforgettable one for her family.