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“Oh, you heard?
“I was like, ‘Yo, this guy is amazing!
He would be perfect for this.’
I was like, ‘OK!
That was in my head, too!’
And then his magical mind found Mike as well, and put this beautiful trio together.
He really has an understanding of casting in a way that I think is really special.”
“Hes told me hes not interested in the chemistry and stuff like that.
But I think thats only because he has a very good understanding of what will work.
I was like: ‘Its perfect casting.’
Zee and Mike were always offering stuff up, and always pushing each other, and me.
We were all kind of helping ourselves along that way.”
“We kind of went to summer camp,” Zendaya smiles.
“It was an acting/tennis summer camp.
You wake up really early.
Everybodys like, ‘OK, lets stretch together.’
And work out, and play tennis, rehearse all day.
“Thats kind of what we do as actors,” Faist nods.
And the three of us, really, we had a lot of fun training together and working together.
It was definitely a memorable summer.”
So by the time youre on set, you feel free.
Youve had the conversations and the fear, and youre not losing time.
you’re able to just play.”
“I think Josh and I came out of this with a very similar mentality.
And we just spent so much time together on this, all the time.”
And then to add on these funny layers you know, it can be so uncomfortable.
Theres a camera pointing at you, and then theyre like, ‘OK, do this awkward thing.’
Something goofy to kind of break the tension of it all.
Im always like, ‘All right, who am I making out with today?'"
Shes so good."
OConnor and Faist had less time, coming later to the project and directly off other sets.
Their approaches mirrored their characters according to the actors.
“Whenever I work, I just kind of obsess about things.
I get tunnel vision; Im a bit of a perfectionist.
Adding to his neurosis was Brad Gilberts insistence Faist achieve a powerful one-handed backhand.
“It was either acting or tennis for me…” he jokes.
“No, Im rubbish, and I had never played any tennis.
“Like, theres technique, but then also it has to be a little fucked-up, too.”
Thats how he holds it!'”
“It feels like what we do is more of a team sport,” Zendaya disagrees.
“You have so many departments and so many people creating this one thing.
I dont ever look at it like, ‘Im an actor, youre an actor.
Were on separate sides of the thing.’
I try not to be in comparison or competition with anyone, except for Zendaya yesterday.”
For OConnor, acting is too multi-discipline to be as competitive as grand-slam rivals.
What Zee offers as an actor is so completely different to what Mike offers, to what I offer.
Challengers is out in theaters on April 26.
