Being one of the most sought-after actresses in the industry today, it’s not too shocking that Zendaya would be among the top five people that directors would want to collaborate with. But working with someone of her cachet and position also means going through money like it’s loose change, and Paul Schrader happened to value his resources more than striking out a name on some wishlist.
Zendaya Was Paul Schrader’s First Choice for Master Gardener
Written and directed by Paul Schrader, Master Gardener is a crime thriller about a diligent horticulturist, Narvel Roth, of Gracewood Gardens on the lavish estate of a Mrs. Haverhill with whom he’s involved beyond just a professional obligation. But when the wealthy dowager coaxes him into taking her recently-orphaned grandniece as an apprentice, Roth’s life starts to get derailed as a menacing chaos begins to unfold.
With a stellar ensemble cast comprising Joel Edgerton (Navel Roth), Quintessa Swindell (Maya), and Sigourney Weaver (Norma Haverhill), the movie opened up to generally favorable reviews, garnering an average of 6.5/10 score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Initially, however, instead of Swindell, who recently starred in DC’s Black Adam, Schrader, 76, had been eyeing Zendaya for the role who had quickly become his most coveted contestant for the part. In fact, she was the only other actress who he’d even considered besides Swindell. But alas, things didn’t work out between the two and the 26-year-old star eventually lost the opportunity to work with the award-winning filmmaker.
Too Pricey to Work With?
Schrader, who is renowned for writing the screenplay of 1976’s Taxi Driver, was adamant about casting Zendaya in Master Gardener, but as much as he admired her talent, he fancied his funds a bit more.
Having worked in high-profile projects with big studios, including the likes of MCU’s Spider-Man outings, Dune, and Euphoria, Zendaya wasn’t willing to settle for anything but the numbers that she demanded, which, simply put, were far out of Schrader’s reach. Although the amount hasn’t been divulged, it’s not particularly surprising for someone who earned easily $10 million from a superhero franchise alone and amassed $1 million per episode for the latest season of the HBO drama, to ask for some incredulous figure.
“The only actress out there for this role that had any economic weight was Zendaya, and there’s no way she was going to for the kind of money I had. You can call Zendaya’s agent; the only thing you hear on the other end is someone laughing.”
Not to mention, Schrader’s thriller was a low-budget project with a production budget of merely $4.7 million, so it makes sense why he wouldn’t have been all too thrilled to offer one-fourth of that to a single cast member.
Master Gardener can be rented or purchased on Apple Tv+.
Source: IndieWire
