Zendaya Opens up About Filming Her Secret Movie, ‘Malcolm & Marie’
For a celebrity of Zendaya’s caliber, vacations are few and far between. In fact, the 23-year-old actor has been building her career piece by piece for years. A multitalented entertainer, Zendaya is an actor, model, singer, and producer, thus her schedule is nearly always packed. But, thanks to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Zendaya has been forced to press pause on many of her upcoming projects. But, even a pandemic can’t bring Zendaya to a complete halt. She recently revealed that she filmed a secret movie in quarantine called Malcolm & Marie.
Zendaya is known for her incredible work ethic. But, even fans were shocked to learn that the actor had filmed an entire movie in quarantine. On July 8, the Emmy nominated actor posted a still shot of herself and fellow actor, John David Washington, to her Instagram page. “Malcolm & Marie” she captioned the photo of her and Washington looking cozy on a couch.
Zendaya filmed a secret movie in quarantine
Later, the news dropped that Zendaya secretly recorded the film, Malcolm & Marie in quarantine. Written by Euphoria writer and creator, Sam Levinson, extreme precautions were taken to ensure that the cast and crew of the movie were safe from the virus. But just how did the film come to be? In a recent interview with InStyle, the Spider-Man: Far From Home star dished about her upcoming film.
Sam Levinson wrote ‘Malcolm & Marie’ in just a few days
“It was an incredible experience,” Zendaya gushed. “I’d been talking to Sam [Levinson] often during the quarantine. Sometimes he’d just call to shoot the sh*t and chat about life. And, eventually, I said to him, ‘I need to do something creative.’ So we bounced ideas back and forth, and then he started writing,” the Malcolm & Marie star confessed.
Levinson casts John David Washington in the film
Apparently Levinson was extremely inspired because he managed to finish the script for Malcolm & Marie in mere days. Once the writing was done, it was time to round out the rest of the cast and crew. Other than casting Washington, Levinson chose to keep the project all in the Euphoria family, which Zendaya has shared is extremely tight-knit. Though there were tons of logistics to work out for the project, safety was the top priority.
“Sam reached out to John David [Washington] about wanting to be a part of the project, so we fronted our own money and put it together ourselves,” Zendaya shared. “Our crew was a very small group of people who are also from Euphoria. And the No. 1 thing was safety. Everyone had to quarantine and get tested in order to shoot in isolation. We created our own little bubble and made sure that once we were in, we couldn’t leave,” the “Replay” singer added.
Zendaya and Levinson relied heavily on their ‘Euphoria’ family
Zendaya admits that it was a different filming experience than she’s accustomed to. In fact, at times it felt like another medium altogether. But, ultimately, the former Disney darling is really excited for what the Malcolm & Marie cast and crew were able to create, especially in a time with so much uncertainty.
“We were able to workshop and rehearse together — it was very much like a play,” Zendaya confessed. “I did my own hair and makeup and dressed in my own clothes. And then we shot in black and white on film, so we’ll see how it turns out. I think we were able to create something really special. And I’m grateful that we learned how to do it on our own.”
