Zendaya’s next big project is the upcoming romantic sports drama film Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino. The film will feature Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned married champion. As a result, the film is bound to be one of Zendaya’s more mature outings, especially because of some steamy scenes.
While promoting the film, Zendaya discussed her preparation for the role and poked fun at one of her Disney shows. Zendaya’s comments quickly caught the attention of fans because of the contrast between Disney’s family-friendly programming and the more mature content of Challengers. Here is what Zendaya said about preparing for Challengers.
Zendaya Makes Jokes About How Her Disney Show Prepared Her For Challengers
Zendaya rose to prominence with her role as Rocky Blue in the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up, starring alongside Bella Throne. She later starred in Disney’s K.C. Undercover, before transitioning to more mature shows with Euphoria.
Zendaya is currently busy promoting her upcoming film Challengers, which has generated plenty of buzz for its steamy scenes, particularly the one involving the actress with her two male co-stars.
At a press event in Australia, Zendaya was asked about her preparation for the tennis-based film.
“K.C. Undercover. No, I’m kidding! You know, listen, the Disney stuff really does. It’s a good training ground.”
Zendaya jokingly made the above statement, referencing her past association with Disney, which is known for its children-oriented programming. Zendaya spent roughly eight years working for Disney and seemingly implied that the set environment of K.C. Undercover helped prepare her for challenging roles such as the one in Challengers.
Netizens Interpret Zendaya’s Comments Amidst Steamy Scenes in Challengers
Zendaya poking fun at her Disney days while promoting her new film quickly caught the attention of social media users. Although Zendaya was joking when she made the comment about her Disney show preparing her for Challengers, some users interpreted her statement in their own way.
Here is what fans are saying about Zendaya making a cheeky Disney joke while promoting her new movie on X.
every joke is a half truth 😭💀😂😂😂
— ladidai (@ladidaix) 🤠 peep lincolnbio (@ladidaix) April 1, 2024
Yeah K.C. Undercover realllly helped her Shake It Up on Challengers!
— steven ☀️ (@arianaunext) April 1, 2024
she keeps it undercover!
— Satyam Patel | 𝕏… (@SatyamInsights) April 1, 2024
How does Tom feel watching his girl do all that 🥲😭😭😭
— Awideee⚔️ (@Loki_Megaa) April 1, 2024
Zendaya's humor shines through! It's refreshing to see her reflect on her journey from Disney roles to more challenging projects like "Challengers."
— Learn With Santosh (@learn_with_san) April 1, 2024
In what way 💀💀 did she elaborate lmaoo
— Ameera (@AmePar02) April 1, 2024
As the tweets suggest, fans chimed in with numerous references to K.C. Undercover and joked about the contrasting nature of Zendaya’s work in the show and her upcoming film. Some netizens poked fun at the actress because of an implied threesome scene in Challengers, which is a far cry from the child-friendly image of the actress from her Disney days.
Despite the jokes, most users understood that Zendaya’s comments were in jest and she appreciated the opportunity of working with Disney, which helped her hone her skills for more challenging projects such as Euphoria and Challengers. Aside from starring in the lead role, Zendaya also serves as a producer on Challengers. Following several delays due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the film is currently slated to release in theaters on April 26, 2024.
K.C. Undercover can be streamed on Disney+.
