“Something Is Finally Unleashed”: ‘THR Presents Q&A’ With ‘Challengers’ Star Zendaya, Director Luca Guadagnino

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In their conversation about the final scene of “Challengers”, Luca Guadagnino and Zendaya chose the term ‘Primal’ to describe it. The movie concludes with a kind of suspense during the crucial tiebreak set of the central tennis match, as Zendaya’s character Tashi utters one memorable line (“C’mon!”). In a recent THR Presents live panel, Zendaya stated that Guadagnino instructed her to give a primal scream. “I watched many Pepperdine matches while preparing,” she said, “and they indeed scream like that. It comes from such a deep place.

Guadagnino, who viewed Challengers as an examination of competitive sexuality, considered the final scene as a means for Tashi to express – in a somewhat non-celibate manner – all the pent-up energy she accumulated while coaching her husband Art (portrayed by Mike Faist) to success. “Something is set free,” he stated. “I believe it’s the most moving way to end the film, with this liberation of her passions.

The director and lead actor convened at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles with co-composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, as well as co-producers Rachel O’Connor and Amy Pascal. Here, they shared anecdotes about the production of Challengers, and reflected on the film’s triumph. Fresh from their Golden Globes win for best original score, Reznor and Ross discussed their initial conversation where Reznor suggested a loud, propulsive, techno sound that would almost be aggressive – an unconventional choice but exciting nonetheless. This music is considered as a character in the movie.

As a gamer speaking candidly, I’ve found myself overthinking situations at times, but today, while casually listening to that film in the background, I must admit it sounded truly impressive.

This edition of THR Presents is sponsored by Amazon/MGM.

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2025-01-11 02:54