Here’s What You Need to Know About Zendaya’s Upcoming Movie “Challengers”

Z absolutely served at the Sydney press conference 🎾

Challengers starring the one and only Zendaya (Dune), is releasing next month, and she landed in Sydney yesterday with her co-stars Josh O’Connor (Emma) and Mike Faist (West Side Story) to kick off their press tour.

The internet went wild on the release of the film’s first trailer last year – it’s intense and a little bit spicy 🔥

Zendaya’s character Tashi Duncan goes from being a young tennis prodigy to tennis coach, who goes on to train her husband and his former best friend… who is also Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.

While it’s fair to assume Zendaya’s incredible career and awards would make her a confident person, the star says it doesn’t help with her shyness.

“If anybody has the cure [to shyness], let me know,” she said.

“Acting or this job [producing] allows me to be these other people, allows me to do things that I otherwise would be terrified and nervous and would never do… if anything I’ve come out of my shell because of my work.”

@theoffcutau we would also like to know the cure for shyness 😭 #zendaya #zendayacoleman #zendayaedit #challengers #sydneyaustralia #celebrityinterview #shy #acting #challengersmovie ♬ End of Beginning - Djo

As a producer on the film too, she described loving getting to work behind the camera and learning from other people.

“It’s always been a way to be creative in a different sense… Whether I’m a producer or not, I just like being on sets… asking questions, and problem solving and figuring out how things work.”

The cast made it clear; Challengers is more than just a film about tennis.

Zendaya joked the film is “Co-dependency: The Movie”, referring to how complex the relationships and dynamics are between the three characters.

“She enjoys power in a way I don’t think I’d ever be comfortable with,” Zendaya laughed, referring to Tashi’s relationship with Josh and Mike’s characters.

“When we first meet her, she’s completely unafraid of her power and wielding it over other people… what I appreciated about [Tashi] is it didn’t take her injury to turn into this ruthless, power-whatever. She was like that as a teenager!... She was already going into the game like this…”

“Before she was younger [the power] was fun, and now it’s like for survival.”

Zendaya says Tashi’s one true love is tennis. When Tashi loses her career to an injury, her grief causes her to use people to get close to it and chase that feeling again.

We don’t know about you guys, but Tashi sounds intense 👀

“Upon first viewing you’ll have an opinion [on the characters], and when you watch it again I guarantee that opinion will change. And then you watch it again, and it might change again.”

Ok Z – we’re sold!

Challengers releases in Aussie cinemas April 18, so mark your calendars ASAP.

Image: Caroline McCredie.