Josh O’Connor revealed that it was a challenge to speak with Zendaya once Beyoncé dropped new music.
The “Crown” alum told V Man in a joint interview with the “Euphoria” actress that while filming “Challengers,” Zendaya listened to Beyoncé’s latest music non-stop.
“There was a day when we were shooting, and Beyoncé’s new track was coming out – and I’m not saying that Beyoncé is like your equivalent of my ceramics, but no one could talk to Z,” O’Connor said. “Like we didn’t engage that entire day, you were just listening to that song every second.”
Zendaya replied, “You know what it was? It was our last day in Boston. And I was like, ‘What are the odds?’ She gave us a good song to give us our farewell.”
Zendaya, who spent three months training to play a former tennis pro, is one third of a love triangle between Mike Faist and O’Connor’s respective characters in the Luca Guadagnino film. Emmy winner Zendaya portrays tennis player-turned-coach Tashi who oversees her husband Art’s (Faist) career. But when Art winds up on a losing streak, he is forced to play against his childhood best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend (O’Connor), igniting a tense love triangle with queer undertones.
“I think those three characters in that movie are beautifully complex and really fucked-up people that I love very much. And a sports film, why not?” director Guadagnino previously told IndieWire. “It’s hyperkinetic, and I do films, so it’s great.”
The film is written by Justin Kuritzkes. “Challengers” was originally set to premiere on opening night at 2023 Venice Film Festival, but the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike led MGM/Amazon to delay the release date, with the film debuting now on April 26, 2024.
