From her days on the Disney Channel to swinging across the screen as a superhero, Zendaya has proven herself to be a versatile actress. With a career that’s constantly evolving, the singer/actress has worked with a number of reputable directors.
In Challengers, Zendaya plays Tashi, a world-renowned tennis player who challenges her husband Art (Mike Faist) to a “Challenger” match — a tournament that’s just below the professional level.
1. Euphoria
In 2019, Zendaya stunned critics and audiences alike with her performance in the HBO series Euphoria. The show, which is based on the Israeli miniseries of the same name, centers around a high school girl who battles drug addiction and mental illness. It features some pretty dark content, including drugs, sex, and violence, but it’s still an impressive, riveting drama. And it’s not just a showcase for Zendaya; the entire cast is impressive, and some of them even received Emmy nominations.
Created by Sam Levinson (Assassination Nation), the show is a bleak, often unflinching look at the darkness of teenagers’ lives. The first season, for example, opens with Rue (Zendaya) having a suicidal breakdown while her NA sponsor Ali (Colman Domingo) listens on the other side of the phone. It’s a powerful, heart-wrenching scene that set the tone for the rest of the series. Later on, the show dives into the ins and outs of Rue’s relapse and her relationship with Jules (Hunter Schafer), a transgender girl who is struggling to come to terms with her own identity.
2. The Greatest Showman
Zendaya got her start on Disney’s hit series Shake It Up, but she really hit her stride in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since then, she’s starred in a handful of films and TV shows that showcase her impressive acting talent. She’s also become a voice for positive body image and has used her stardom to speak out against negative comments about her weight. As a result, she’s one of the most popular and accomplished young actresses in Hollywood.
She’s a natural in musical movies and shows, and her portrayal of the pink-haired trapeze artist Anne Wheeler in The Greatest Showman was no exception. The movie is based on the real-life circus that was run by P. T. Barnum, and it features several characters based on the real performers at the time. This includes Charles Stratton, the bearded dwarf who was a regular in Barnum’s circus and was the inspiration for the song “This Is Me.” It also features Anne Wheeler, a black trapeze artist who defied the taboos of her time. Her forbidden romance with Phillip Carlyle, played by Zac Efron, is relegated to stolen glances and clandestine hand-holding throughout the gomovies but culminates in the beautiful duet “Rewrite the Stars.”
3. Dune
Science fiction is one of the most popular genres of movies in cinema and has provided moviegoers with a variety of adventures through the years. It is also a tried and true method of creating a fantasy world on screen for audiences to get lost in. One of the most notable sci-fi movies in recent memory was Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. The film starred Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, a young man who travels to dangerous planets in order to defend his family’s honor and ensure the survival of his people. In the midst of his journey, he encounters the woman from his dreams, Chani (Zendaya).
Villeneuve’s vision of Dune is an epic, visually lush imagining that combines Shakespearian castle intrigue with wide-screen desert vistas and incendiary battle scenes. Its central theme of feudal nobles waging war over a rare resource is both a timeless and an uncanny allegory for western imperialism. And its evocation of religious fanaticism as a weapon of control echoes the power struggles of the past and of the present.
4. Malcolm & Marie
Zendaya starred alongside John David Washington in Netflix’s Malcolm & Marie. The film was directed by Sam Levinson, the creator of HBO’s Euphoria. This movie focuses on a Hollywood couple’s argument that is catalyzed by Malcolm’s failure to thank Marie in his film premiere speech. The two go back-and-forth about a number of issues, including ownership. They explore how a woman is perceived in the entertainment industry and their own sense of power over their careers.
As soon as the film begins, we can feel the tension between the characters. We can also see the resentment that is slowly festering between them. The resentment is evident by the way that they treat each other and how they talk about their work. The resentment is even more evident in their behavior towards other people.
The two lead actors, both of whom are extremely talented, did a great job in portraying their roles. But, despite the powerful performances by both of them, the film was difficult to watch. It was hard to watch because the dialogue was so intense and it kept going on and on. It felt like an endless argument that went nowhere.
