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‘Just Threw Myself In There': Zendaya Reveals How She Prepared For Her Tennis Player Role In Challengers
Zendaya got into the character by incorporating tennis into her lifestyle. She mentioned that her social media was filled with sports, and the team even brought in a professional player for her to practice with.
All eyes are on Zendaya as she stuns in the newly-released, Challengers. The potential box-office smash presents the popular actress as a tennis prodigy, who is entangled in a love triangle with Mike Faist’s Art Donaldson and Josh O’Connor’s Patrick Zweig. While Zendaya claims to have no ties with the sport, she opened up about how she nailed her tennis player role.
The Euphoria star dug into the character of a pro player by influencing her real lifestyle with tennis. She revealed that her social media was filled with sports stuff, and the crew got her an actual player to simulate with. And then, the three co-stars had fun practicing shots, and footwork. But there was another facet that perfected her athletic portrayal.
Zendaya discloses strategy behind Challengers role prep
Talking to Variety for their Challengers’ cover story in July 2023, which was delayed to align with the movie’s release, Zendaya shared her secret to acing the tennis-playing character, Tashi Duncan. “I didn’t know anything about tennis, to be honest. So I just threw myself in there. I’ve pretty much seen every video, every match that’s online, every compilation, every interview. It became my thing,” the 27-year-old star disclosed. 
However, Zendaya was quite intimidated by all the raging talent out there. Even though she explained the movie as not being an exclusively sports movie, she had to play her part. “Tennis is just a metaphor for a lot of bigger sh*t. It’s a metaphor for power. For codependency,” she told Variety.
The Dancing With The Stars alum shadowed an athlete who matched her physique. Zendaya detailed, “I watched her footwork. I would record videos, endlessly, of us side-by-side, and try to sync up my feet, my hands — just get it as close as possible to what she looks like. That became my focus.”
Moreover, the Disney star used her dancing skills and approached the character from the “sensibility of mimicking” which eventually helped her ace the role. The three co-stars also practiced on the court for hours and then rehearsed their lines.
Zendaya relates to Tashi Duncan being a child star
When asked about her journey from a child star starting out at Disney, to becoming a Hollywood star leading major films, Zendaya related to Tashi Duncan’s story. She explained it with the “idea of pressure” that she and Duncan had endured throughout their childhood, trying to make it in their professional spheres.
“you have so much to prove, so much ahead of you, so many people to please. You don’t really even know yourself yet,” Zendaya stated.
Earlier, the Emmy-winning actress had expressed her reservations about dedicating her life and childhood to acting in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. She regretted not going to school and shared how she was “thrust” into the adult responsibility of becoming the family’s breadwinner at a very young age. Zendaya further pointed out that the experience has also affected her relationship with success as an adult star.
Challengers premiered on Friday, April 26, and is out in theaters now.
ALSO READ: 'Been Back For Maybe Five Years': Zendaya Talks About Returning To Met Gala After Five-Year Gap
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