Zendaya’s first blockbuster was in a Spider-Man movie, but her audition to play MJ left the producers red in the face.
Most fans are so smitten with Zendaya that they’d instantly be able to pick her out of a line-up in their sleep, and why wouldn’t they be? The 27-year-old American actress is a phenomenal talent, turning in powerful performances across TV shows like the teen drama Euphoria as well as in blockbusters like Dune: Part Two. Her induction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming proved a pivotal moment in her career, establishing her as a bona-fide movie star. However, the audition wasn’t free from embarrassment, none of it being hers…
Producers didn’t know Zendaya was a star during Spider-Man audition
Zendaya’s is one of the most recognizable celebrity faces in the world right now, and even before 2017, she was well-known as a model, dancer, and actress.
She was on the Disney Channel show Shake It Up in the co-leading role of Rocky Blue, playing the part between 2010 and 2013. After that, she featured in numerous shows like Black-ish while also competing on the likes of Dancing With The Stars.
Thousands would have been compelled to ask for her autograph in the street long before her MCU debut, but Spider-Man: Homecoming producer Amy Pascal wouldn’t have been one of them, nor would Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige
“She was wearing no makeup and she was just dressed like a regular girl, and we were like, ‘Oh my God, she’s amazing. She has to be in the movie,’” Amy admitted during an interview with Vogue when remembering Zendaya’s audition.
“And then we found out she was a totally famous person, and felt really stupid.”
She was eventually cast as MJ, the love interest of main character Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland. The two actors met for the first time on set and later became a power couple that is going strong to this day. And honestly, they’re just the absolute sweetest.
Zendaya’s latest leading role is in the movie Challengers
Opening in theaters on Friday, April 26th 2024, Challengers is a romantic sports comedy-drama from Luca Guadagnino, director of Call Me By Your Name and Bones And All.
Zendaya steps into the lead role of Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach whose attempts to restore her husband’s tennis career are challenged *cough cough* when his former friend and her former partner are scheduled to battle it out on the court.
Much fanfare has been made around steamy stills and chemistry with co-stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist within teased scenes.
“When I have these moments in my career — like, my first time leading a film that’s actually going to be in a theater — I feel like I shrink, and I can’t enjoy all the things that are happening to me,“ Zendaya opened up during a recent Vogue interview.
“I’m very tense, and I think that I carry that from being a kid and never really having an opportunity to just try s***.”
When reflecting on child stardom, she added: “I don’t know how much of a choice I had. I have complicated feelings about kids and fame and being in the public eye, or being a child actor. We’ve seen a lot of cases of it being detrimental. I think only now, as an adult, am I starting to go, Oh, okay, wait a minute: I’ve only ever done what I’ve known, and this is all I’ve known.”
There may be pressure, but judging from the trailers, Zendaya knocks it out of the court in Challengers. A must-see.
Related Topics
MORE CELEBRITY STORIES
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmroaSuwaqwwaKrZ5ufonxzfJFtZmlsX2Z9cL%2FPopueql2irq95z6umna2Tmr%2B0ecWeo61lopqurbjYZqqtraCesW6txa2cq2WqmrulrdiaqmaZpZm2tbXOp2Sfp6JitbC5xJympqGenHw%3D