Warning: This article contains spoilers for the film Challengers.
The open ending of the hit sports drama Challengers has already led to a lot of debate – and that apparently includes among the film’s cast.
Zendaya has revealed that she and her mum have very different opinions about the film’s final shot, which sees Art (played by Mike Faist) discovering his wife had been unfaithful with his tennis rival Patrick (Josh O’Connor) the night before his big game.
“My mum read the ending so different,” the Emmy winner told the New York Times, claiming her mother thought Tashi was “pissed” at the two male characters “realising they don’t need her anymore”.
However, Zendaya disagreed, pointing out that her character ends the film with “a little bit” of a smile.
“It’s interesting, I was like, ‘What? I don’t know where you got that from’,” she explained. “I’m in the movie and I feel like I have a good sense of what I thought this ending was supposed to be, and she was like, ‘No. This is what it is. So sorry’.”
For his part, director Luca Guadagnino was a fan of how Zendaya’s mum read the ending, even if he said it wasn’t intentional.
“But I like what your mum says, because it adds another level that goes beyond our intentions,” Luca said. “For me, she smiles at the end, if you’re going to freeze frame.”
He added: “Isn’t it so beautiful that we have an open ending that people like? Because everybody says, ‘No. Never open ending. You have to know what happens at the end’.”
Co-star Josh agreed: “I think that’s the point, everyone’s got a different perspective on it.”
Since Challengers hit cinemas last week, the film has been a hit at the box office on both sides of the Atlantic.
Its cast members have also been lifting the lid on some of the movie’s most memorable moments, including one iconic scene that’s already got people talking and a pivotal sequence that wasn’t even in the original script.