[Interview] How ‘CHALLENGERS’ Got Its Serve (and Swerve) On

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

The games played between three highly-competitive tennis players in director Luca Guadagnino’s CHALLENGERS are more cerebral than physical, although there is that component there as well. The trio – played by Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor – serve up a heaping dose of electrically charged banter, psychological manipulation and sex appeal throughout the course of this pulsating, provocative, heart-palpitating picture. And it’s a must-see!

Justin Kuritzkes’ script had initially made the rounds with a lot of interest, producer Amy Pascal mentioned at the film’s recent press conference in Los Angeles. “We had quite a bit of competition. I think what really locked it is we promised we’d get her [Zendaya].” Kuritzkes added, “I can confirm that’s partly it. When I heard Amy was interested, I was completely over the moon. That was when I felt like this might actually happen.”

The script’s germination began in 2018 when Kuritzkes was watching the U.S. Open match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.“Prior to writing the script, I hadn’t been that massive a tennis fan. There was this very controversial call from the umpire where he accused Serena Williams of receiving coaching from the sidelines. I had never heard of this rule.” He continued, “Immediately, it struck me as this intensely cinematic situation. What if you really needed to talk about something and what if it was something beyond tennis? What if it involved the person on the other side of the net? How would you communicate the tension of that situation using the tools that are specific to film?”

Pascal spotted its uniqueness straight away. “It’s very difficult to tell a story that goes backwards and forwards but only moves forwards as a storytelling device. We were most impressed with is that it’s difficult to tell a story that takes place in many different timelines and yet you’re never confused.” She added, “It is rare that commercial movies are about adult relationships and about sex – and I was sick of it. I thought it was high time that people kiss in movies and more and there was no better director to bring that to life than Luca.”

Zendaya, who also produces the picture, felt compelled to take the role of former tennis superstar-turned-manager-and-wife Tashi because it posed a challenge for her: “It made me nervous as something to tackle because of how complicated these characters are. I couldn’t define what kind of film it was; it was funny, but not a comedy; there’s drama, but I wouldn’t say it’s a drama; it had tennis, but it wasn’t a sports movie. That feeling it was everything at once was terrifying, but equally exhilarating. It was a character I’d never read before and never seen before. She scared the shit out of me.”

Mike Faist, who plays formidable-yet-flailing tennis pro Art, connected with the character-rich material immediately. “The thing that stuck out to me was this idea of a craftsman who’s fallen out of love with his craft and he’s so desperately trying to get back to this place of purity and flow, like a form of transcendence. That leapt off the page.”

Josh O’Connor, who read the script a year before after having been set up on a “friend date” with Kuritzkes, showed trepidations approaching cocky, washed up tennis pro Patrick. “Initially, I thought this was beyond my reach. This was a character that was so confident, front-footed and comfortable in himself, even though he has fears and insecurities, but really lives life to the full and is accepting of his flaws.”

If it’s not enough for the acting trio to prepare mentally to tackle their roles, their physicality comes into play. And the training was brutal. Zendaya said: “We got 6 weeks before starting production to work on tennis. I knew nothing about tennis, except Venus and Serena. You know you’re suppossed to be a great tennis player and I’ve never been a great tennis player. We trained and worked out beside each other – and we had rehearsal beside each other. During that time, I was driving myself crazy trying to learn the fundamentals. It’s not a game you can just pick up. At some point, my approach had to be different. Eventually, Luca was building these scenes and choreograph them because every shot was meticulously storyboarded. I’ll approach it like choreography. I’m a dancer. Let me dance this thing out.”

Luca Guadagnino captures a propulsive volley between these characters not solely in the choreography of the action sequences, but also through dialogue. “The structure was so cinematic that I instinctively felt this would be fantastic.” The drama culminates in an explosive 3^rd act match on the courts, which brings together music and visual in an exciting, entertaining spectacle – unlike ever before. “We rehearsed a lot – the dramatic part and then we went on the court and understanding how sports action had to be reflective of the dynamic between the characters. Every little gesture. The finale had to be a non-dialogue sequence that was going to be very clear to the audience – that emotional ramp up. It took a long time from conception to shooting. That last ten minutes took us 8 days to shoot. And a lot of work in post-production.”

CHALLENGERS opens in theaters on April 26.