Zendaya Gave Honest Answer When Asked About Having To Film Intimate Three-Way Scene In Recent Movie

By Haider Ali in Showbiz On 14th September 2024
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Most people would probably prefer that the intimate scenes they filmed in a movie never come up in conversation. 

Zendaya, however, is completely open about her experience on set. 

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As she celebrated her 28th birthday last Sunday (September 1), the actress has been candid about what it was like to get close to her co-stars in Challengers. 

She didn’t shy away from sharing her thoughts on the matter.

The star turns 28 on 1 September Getty Images

It makes sense, given that she's a straightforward Virgo. 

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Zendaya was unbothered even when her whole family squirmed in their seats during the steamy scenes at the film's premiere back in April.

So, answering questions about those moments from an interviewer is a breeze for her.

For those who haven't seen the film, Zendaya stars as Tashi, a tennis star who becomes entangled in a love triangle. 

The other two players involved are Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O'Connor), who are also best friends.

Tashi marries Art, but her career is cut short by an injury. 

Instead of playing, she coaches Art to become one of the world's top tennis players.

The saucy scenes in Challengers were a big talking point when the trailer for the film dropped Warner Bros

When Art falls into a losing streak, Tashi enters him into a minor tournament to boost his confidence. 

However, he ends up facing Patrick, who is now not only Tashi’s ex but also a former best friend.

Amid all this romantic tension and tennis drama, there's also a touch of ménage à trois, although Zendaya, Faist, and O'Connor stopped short of going all the way, which disappointed some fans.

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Despite Tashi's role leaving the tennis players wanting more, Zendaya thinks her sudden exit during the steamy scenes was a perfect fit for the storyline.

When it comes to locking lips with her two co-stars, Zendaya said she "loved" it. 

Zendaya praised her co-stars in the sports film and said she felt 'very lucky' to work with them Warner Bros

This naturally led to fans wondering how her partner Tom Holland might react to these intimate moments in the trailer. 

But Zendaya assures that she views it simply as part of her profession.

Speaking with the Mirror before Challengers was released, Zendaya talked about the three-way scene, saying, "Tashi is extremely driven. She's a go-getter and she is totally ruthless. The intimate scenes were so good - I loved it. I felt very lucky to be partnered with those guys."

The California native continued, "And whatever the moment, it always felt like they always had my back and I had theirs.

"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."

 

Imagine your parents watching that on the big screen. Warner Bros

Zendaya also shared that preparing to portray a top tennis player was far more challenging than getting ready for the intimate scenes with Faist and O'Connor, as she admitted she doesn’t "love to work out." 

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She added, "Thankfully, I had an amazing group of people who helped and I learned a lot about air tennis especially and how to look like I know what I'm doing. We trained for something like six weeks, which was pretty tough."

She concluded, "Hopefully, we did a good job and people won't be too upset. But I'm not about to give up the day job, that's for sure! Playing tennis was definitely the most challenging part of making Challengers."