Since she was a child, Zendaya has been carving a name for herself before busting into massive mainstream success with her work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Euphoria. But there’s one key figure in all of this who knew nothing about the young actress.
As revealed in the latest edition of Vogue, producer Amy Pascal admitted to being unfamiliar with Zendaya when she auditioned for the role of MJ in the Tom Holland iteration of the Spider-Man films films, beginning with 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.
In the cover story, Pascal was asked about approaching the actress, with the heavyweight producer noting she didn’t know much about Zendaya before casting.
“To be honest with you, neither Kevin Feige nor I knew who she was,” Pascal said. “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.’ And then we found out she was a totally famous person and felt really stupid.”
In 2010, the actress made her television debut as Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up and later starred as the titular character in the sitcom K.C. Undercover. By 2019, she remolded her career and joined Euphoria, where she made history as the youngest recipient of the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, which she won twice.
You can see Zendaya heat up the screen in the upcoming film Challengers. Check out the trailer here…
From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, “Challengers” stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor)—his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win?
Challengers arrives in cinemas on April 26th.