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When Zendaya began production on “Malcolm & Marie,” the Netflix-made lockdown drama in which she stars starring John David Washington, she never imagined it would generate both heavy criticism and a buzz for the season. rewards.
The public interest shouldn’t have been such a surprise: last year, the 24-year-old became the youngest winner of the Best Actress Emmy for her captivating performance as Rue, a troubled teenager in the HBO drama series “Euphoria”. She is now in the running for a Critics Choice Award for Malcolm & Marie.
After “Euphoria” season 2 production was suspended due to the pandemic, Zendaya and show creator Sam Levinson wanted to see if they could make a quarantined film last year. The result was “Malcolm & Marie,” shot in a Northern California house doubling for Malibu, by a cast and crew of 22 members (most of whom worked on “Euphoria”), in just two weeks.
“You know, it’s funny, if you told us there would be a conversation around, you know, awards or whatever, it’s crazy!” We were all finding out together, ”Zendaya said.
In the film, written and directed by Levinson, a filmmaker named Malcolm (Washington) and his girlfriend, Marie (Zendaya), have an argument all night after the premiere of his film. Their sometimes abusive comings and goings loaded with monologues imply, among other things, that he forgets to thank her for her contribution to his project, which focuses on a recovering drug addict just like Marie.
The film’s script has been widely analyzed and has sparked several discussions on social media about the age difference between the stars (Washington is 36), a story with black characters written by a white filmmaker, and the toxic romance. characters.
“None of us who made the movie think we’re in a healthy relationship, you know what I’m talking about?” Zendaya said. “I think it was to explore those insecurities and dark things about ourselves that I think relationships can sometimes bring out of us.”
The actress, who also served as a producer on the film, spoke via a video from Atlanta, where she is filming the upcoming “Spider-Man,” reactions to the film, and her hopes of becoming a filmmaker who creates more roles for. black women. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
What was the driving force that ultimately motivated you to produce and star in a movie during the pandemic?
I think it’s often overlooked because obviously we were able to sell it to Netflix, but it really started out as this very, very little thing that we were doing.
And that was the first time that I didn’t really have my 9 to 5 [consistent schedule], which I have since I was 13 years old. The last project I technically did before “Euphoria” was “KC Undercover” [that Disney Channel series ended a few months before the HBO show was given the green light]. So this was my first time without it – because I never had to know who I am without my job.
I talked to Sam a lot and couldn’t wait to get creative in one form or another and get my purpose back. And I was like, what if we just shoot something, you, me and Marcell [Rév, the cinematographer who worked on the movie and also on “Euphoria”]? And if there was a world where we did something that we were proud of and could sell it and hopefully get everyone to pay and take care of our crew that way, that would be the ultimate goal of victory for all of us.
There have been reviews of the film’s portrayal of toxic relationships and Sam Levinson’s writing about a black couple as a white man. Was there space for you and John David Washington to collaborate and provide input on different aspects of the black experience?
Yes, of course. What is interesting is that I think that a small part of our agency has been stripped. Like that, it was just kind of a Sam spitting things out through us without realizing that we’re not just actors, but that we’re co-financiers and producers with PGA brands. You can’t get them without doing the job.
I think that also reflects the plight of Mary a little bit, right? It’s as if Marie said the whole movie [Malcolm’s film] is also mine. But the reality is, in real life, we got the credit, it’s ours, and John David, me, and Sam own this movie as well. It’s not like it’s somebody else’s and I just got thrown in. He wrote it for us too, and I think if you want to write something you have to recognize the experiences of the [Black] character you write. I thought a lot of the conversations I had had with Sam had come to fruition.
There has also been a lot of debate about the age difference. But we have the impression that the difference is in the context of the film. How do you deal with certain expectations placed on you as a former child actor?
It’s interesting that it has become such a thing because my parents are 13 years apart. But I also try to look at myself from the outside and I realize that I have been playing as a teenager since my teenage years. I still play a 17 year old on TV and in movies. I’m thankful my Black doesn’t crack up so I can keep doing it.
Some people grew up with me, they see me on Disney Channel, I’m like their little sister or their best friend. And I am grateful for it. I’m Marie’s age, and I think the dynamic, their age difference, is part of their story: she met him while she was recovering [at] 20 years. She never really loved anyone or thought that anyone loved her like him. And it plays into his frustrations [about] not receiving the recognition that she feels she deserves and maybe also unwrapping something [about] she being young and vulnerable. So I totally understood, from an outside point of view, because I play teenagers, but I’m an adult.
Is there something that you hope people who might relate to parts of the movie take away?
There is no specific message. Rather, it is about opening a dialogue. You are the fly on the wall. You watch codependency, narcissism, the ups and downs of something that has a lot of toxicity. This triggers for different people in different ways as they find themselves connected to different parts of the characters. If there’s anything to take away, it’s this idea of gratitude [for] people in our lives who help us do what we do. For any youngster who’s going through some relationship and something like toxicity or whatever, I think what matters is understanding your worth.
Who had the idea of choosing canned macaroni and cheese as a late-night snack that Marie makes when she arrives home?
She has immense control and a need for control. And I think she knows she’s just stalling. Like, I’ll do [him] bland mac and cheese. And I don’t do it because I love it. I do it because I’m upset and I wait for him to ask me why. The mac and cheese was just the classic thing that is in everyone’s pantry. So yeah, Sam wrote that in there.
I noticed on your social networks that you are posting photos that you have taken. Are you professionally interested in photography or cinematography?
Extremely. I mean, I would love to be able to be a filmmaker. I don’t know when this will happen. Sam is always like, I give you a year until you direct something, and I’m like, okay, well, that means you have a year to teach me. So I don’t know what it looks like personally, but I really enjoyed being a producer. And I like the idea of being able one day, hopefully, to do the things that I want to see, the roles that I want to see for black women. It would be exciting and one of my goals.
Interesting habits or new activities that you developed or started during the pandemic?
I had a piano so I could teach myself. I still sit sometimes, I’m not home at the moment, but I’ll try to watch the YouTube video of a song I like and see if I can learn it. hunter [Schafer, her “Euphoria” castmate], who is one of the closest people to me, she is an amazing artist. Before leaving for Atlanta, she bought me a sketchbook and a watercolor. I will feel that if it is not the Mona Lisa, I am laughing at myself. So, the whole thing with this slash diary sketchbook is just to start doing something. Don’t try to control it.
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