Zendaya On Venus Williams Watching Challengers Premiere: 'Exciting And An Honour'

Luca Guadagnino-directed Challengers recently hit theatres and has impressed audiences with its light take on tennis and love. Featuring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, the film’s story revolves around a pro tennis player who receives support from his wife, an ex-tennis player, to regain his confidence after an injury puts him out of commission. Being a former tennis prodigy in the film, Zendaya also had her own share of playing tennis. But she was left anxious when tennis great Venus Williams also witnessed her game.

In the latest episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 27-year-old spoke about her latest release and shared her reaction to Williams watching her play tennis at the special screening. As Kimmel asked about how she felt, Zendaya said, “I was terrified. I found out that she was coming, and I was like, ‘What?’ It was very exciting and an honour to see that she would take her time to see the film. This is so special to me. But I really hoped that she would not get distracted by my tennis abilities. I hoped it was convincing enough.”

The Hollywood star had also shared Venus William’s picture from the LA premiere.

Earlier, in a conversation with Entertainment Tonight, the Dune actress also revealed that she spoke to Serena Williams about her film. “She was like, ‘I know there definitely weren’t real balls. She knows. She’s the best of the best. She did say that it was great considering that I had never, never touched a tennis ball before,” Zendaya recalled.

On the other hand, Venus Williams’ had the sweetest reaction to Zendaya recreating her and her sister Serena’s 1998 Vogue photoshoot, donning black and white striped, full-skirted gowns. Zendaya, in tribute to the tennis legends, recreated the look as part of the press tour for Challengers. Even her poses were quite similar.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion reacted to the tribute and shared Zendaya’s photo on her Instagram. “My heart melted on this one. Iconic,” she wrote.

Zendaya’s Film Line-Up

Zendaya was recently seen in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 2 opposite actors like Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista and others. The film did good business at the box office. Basking in the success of her last two releases, the actress also made a stunning appearance at the 2024 Met Gala, turning heads with her outfits.