Luca has such a great way of looking at each character in CHALLENGERS through such an empathetic lens, seeing them as human : Zendaya

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino comes "Challengers" starring Golden Globe Winner 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 – West Side Story), 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 – The Crown) — 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?

Talking about working with Guadagnino and coming on board as a producer, ZENDAYA says, “Luca has such a great way of looking at each character in CHALLENGERS through such an empathetic lens, seeing them as human. He is so good at pulling nuances and human aspects of a character out so that they’re vulnerable and relatable.”

“From the initial conversations I had with Amy (Pascal) and Luca, it was very clear that we were all on the same page with our vision for the film — it should still be humorous and have a levity to it, even as it deals with life situations that are nuanced and characters who have pain inside of them,” adds Zendaya.

Talking about her character and the role of tennis in the dynamic, Zendaya says, “Tennis in this film is really just a metaphor for power, and power dynamics amongst people who lean on each other, maybe a little bit too much."

Tashi’s first love is tennis — that was the thing that gave her strength and power and made her who she is,” continues Zendaya. “I can identify with that, because I have found so much of my identity through my work. The moment when, because of an injury, Tashi is no longer able to do the one thing that she feels defines her, she has to find a way to redefine herself. She’s doing her best to control everything, and to be in control of her emotions, to get what she wants and needs out of life, but I’m not sure she knows what it leads to. I think there’s a lot of women that will see themselves in Tashi.”

Starring alongside Zendaya are Golden Globe and SAG Award winner and BAFTA nominee Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”) and BAFTA nominee Mike Faist (“West Side Story”). 

Directed by Academy Award® and BAFTA nominated visionary filmmaker LUCA GUADAGNINO (Call Me By Your Name, I Am Love, Suspiria, A Bigger Splash, Bones and All), CHALLENGERS is courtesy of cinematographer SAYOMBHU MUKDEEPROM (Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria), with a memorably propulsive score by two-time Oscar® winners TRENT REZNOR and ATTICUS ROSS (The Social Network, Pixar’s Soul) and dynamic costumes from esteemed international designer JONATHAN ANDERSON.

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Presents a Why Are You Acting? / Frenesy Films / Pascal Pictures Production, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.”  The film released in cinemas in India on 26 April, 2024 and is  distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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