Zendaya admits she was 'nervous' to be 'leading' her steamy tennis film Challengers as she shows off athletic skills with behind-the-scenes photos
Zendaya found herself grappling with a bit of stage fright in her latest role, despite being an Emmy-winning actress.
The 27-year-old Euphoria star — who recently dished on the HBO series' third season — took to her Instagram to get candid about filming the upcoming Challengers and to share a few behind-the-scenes photos from the production.
'A little bts dump in honor of @challengersmovie coming out in a couple days,' she wrote. 'This is my first time leading a film in this way so ya girls been nervous but everyones excitement and encouragement has meant the world to me.'
'I’m so honored that I get to do this beside these incredibly talented, brilliant (and hilarious) people and on behalf of all of us, we hope you enjoy the film and again.'
The carousal included a clip of Zendaya showing off her tennis skills, exercising on a yoga ball and paling around with her Challengers costars Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor.
Zendaya found herself grappling with a bit of stage fright in her latest role, despite being an Emmy-winning actress
The star, 27, took to her Instagram to get candid about filming the upcoming Challengers and to share a few behind-the-scenes photos from the production
In the film, Zendaya plays Tashi Duncan, an aspiring tennis star who gives up her career after suffering a major injury.
She then focuses on coaching her colleague Art (Faist), whom she falls in love with and marries, but she finds her feelings dangerously divided after Art is enrolled on the Challenger Tour, where he faces off against Tashi's ex-boyfriend Patrick (O'Connor).
The social media shares comes after Zendaya recently spoke about filming the sports romance's intimate scenes with her costars.
She praised the intimacy coordinator for keeping a 'safe' environment on set, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
'We had an intimacy coordinator which was fantastic and very helpful, because it was important that we felt safe,' she said.
'I spoke with my colleagues so that we could find a way to feel at ease. We played tennis together, we went out together, we rehearsed together,' the star continued. 'We got to bond and feel good with each other.'
Faist added: 'We were able to spend time together during rehearsals and beyond, especially with Josh. We were able to get to know each other as people before we could get into the film. We created a real friendship that created the basis of the film.'
The interview comes after Zendaya shared a rare insight into her relationship with boyfriend Tom Holland as she graced the cover of British Vogue's May Issue.
The actress stunned in a tennis-inspired shoot for the publication, while sharing that the Spiderman star has 'beautifully' handled his own rise to fame.
Zendaya and Tom met on the set of Spiderman: Homecoming in 2017, but predominantly keep their relationship out of the public eye.
Speaking about her relationship, she said: 'We were both very, very young, but my career was already kind of going, and his changed overnight.
'A little bts dump in honor of @challengersmovie coming out in a couple days,' she wrote. 'This is my first time leading a film in this way so ya girls been nervous'
'I’m so honored that I get to do this beside these incredibly talented, brilliant (and hilarious) people and on behalf of all of us, we hope you enjoy the film and again,' she added
The carousal included a clip of Zendaya showing off her tennis skills
There was also a photo of her paling around with her Challengers costars Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor
In the film, Zendaya plays Tashi Duncan, an aspiring tennis star who gives up her career after suffering a major injury; seen in a still from the movie
Tashi then focuses on coaching her colleague Art (Faist), whom she falls in love with and marries, but she finds her feelings dangerously divided after Art is enrolled on the Challenger Tour, where he faces off against Tashi's ex-boyfriend Patrick (O'Connor)
'I definitely watched his life kind of change in front of him. But he handled it really beautifully.'
Discussing her own fame, she said: 'You just kind of get used to the fact that, ''Oh, I'm also one of these art pieces you're going to take a picture of.'' I just gotta be totally cool with it and just live my life.'
'I think growing up, I always felt like when someone asks for a picture, I have to do it, all the time. You have to say yes, because you just need to be grateful that you're here.
'And while I still feel that way, I also have learnt that I can say no, and I can say kindly that I'm having a day off, or I'm just trying to be myself today, and I don't actually have to perform all the time.'
