When it comes to Challengers, Zendaya serves as a producer and brings the character of Tashi Duncan to life in an unforgettable performance. The thrilling new drama is now playing in theaters.

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.

“To me, I think Tashi represents a woman who’s complicated, complex, and layered, and I love that she’s not always likable. I love that she’s unapologetic. I love that she’s messy. I think that when I look for characters or look for characters that I want to play, I want to take on the ones that the challenge becomes me trying to make them as… trying to get people to be as empathetic towards them as possible. That becomes my job, as an actor, is to see something in these characters that’s good and try to get the audience to see that too, and make them feel human and feel like someone we know or maybe a part of ourselves,” the actress explained to me. “I think that that’s a great gift to be able to be empathetic to other people. That’s what we should all be doing and I think she’s no exception. I think she’s incredibly difficult and I liked that about her. And so, I hope that people also connect with that aspect that not every character has to be the good guy or the bad guy, you know? They can just be the guy like, they’re just human.”

We discussed what she loves about this leading role, how the ending is up for interpretation, the different parts of Tashi’s arc, how rewatching the film creates a new experience every time, and more.

Watch my interview here: