For Zendaya, Malcolm & Marie was so much more than just another acting job.
It was also an intensely collaborative filmmaking experience that gave her a newfound sense
of freedom in her screen performance and in her behind-the-scenes contributions to the
story.
Malcolm & Marie reunites Zendaya with writer-director Sam Levinson.
The two previously worked together on the drama series Euphoria.
Alongside Zendaya as Marie, John David Washington stars in the film as Malcolm, and the picture
follows the two as they return home from the successful premiere of Malcolm's film and
discover that what is supposed to be a night of celebration takes a turn.
While Malcolm is delighted about what's sure to be a career-making feat, Marie is deeply
scorned by him forgetting to include her in his thank you speech.
"And it's not just about you forgetting to thank me, Malcolm.
It's about how you see me, and how you view my contribution not just to this relationship
but to your work."
That's just the latest in a litany of grievances that have been growing between them, and the
insult becomes the catalyst for a full night full of fireworks as they finally air things
out.
The black-and-white film was written, filmed, and completed within a quarantine bubble as
a result of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Instead of being a hindrance to the production process, though, the strict safety protocols
and limited personnel on the set of Malcolm & Marie actually increased the intimacy and
creative flow of the team, especially for Zendaya.
In December, the actress opened up on Pharrell and Scott Vener's OTHERtone podcast about
how uniquely hands-on the project was for her and how it allowed her to finally lean
into her own instincts as a performer.
Zendaya revealed that Malcolm & Marie first began as an exchange of ideas between herself
and Sam Levinson amid the Hollywood pandemic shutdowns.
She explained that since she hadn't acted much lately, she was really looking forward
to a creative outlet.
"I really missed what I love.
And I was like, 'Listen, I'll do whatever.'"
She and Levinson knew that anything they came up with would have to involve a very small
crew.
In fact, she said at some point they even considered just having cinematographer Marcell
Rev join them at her house for an experimental shoot with only the three of them.
Eventually, Levinson came up with the concept of Malcolm & Marie and shared his vision with
Zendaya, who was fully on board with it.
"He called me one day with this beautiful idea of just two people in a home, a relationship
piece, almost like a play."
They then brought together a tight-knit crew that they'd worked with on Euphoria and filmed
the picture at a remote house location with the proper protocols over the course of a
few weeks.
This proved to be a special experience for Zendaya in particular because she got to participate
in the project in some very technical ways she never had before.
"It was like an indie, you know.
I'm doing my own hair and makeup in the bathroom, and you know, brought a lot of my clothes
for set dec.
It was my shoes in the background."
And since the film's crew didn't include an assistant director, Zendaya said she was even
part of the process of keeping continuity with the location of props between takes.
Not only did Zendaya's early conversations with Levinson help to shape the storyline
in Malcolm & Marie at the outset, but she also found that she had an important voice
in the workflow once the cameras started rolling on the film.
"We got to workshop it together and block things out and figure it out, and Sam was
writing as we go.
I've never been able to do something [at] that level of not just intimate, but that
level of collaboration."
Being so intrinsically involved in both the creative and practical elements of the film
also enhanced Zendaya's ability to trust her own performance choices and ultimately craft
such a raw and riveting character in the picture.
"You know, the first time that I creatively just allowed myself to say, 'You know what?
I trust myself.
I trust my instincts, and this is special and I want to do this.'"
"How were you able to breathe life into the character of Imani; how were you able to channel
the voice of a young woman so well, so authentically?"
The actress explained that working so closely with Levinson on Malcolm & Marie also made
her rethink her previous fears about getting behind the lens on a production in future
projects.
"I don't like making mistakes.
But as a director, you're really the captain of the ship.
This is your baby.
You know, this is your work, fully.
And so it's scary in that sense."
However, her experience on Malcolm & Marie has piqued Zendaya's interest in potentially
doing some cinematography or working as a director of photography on future films.
It's quite fitting that making this movie gave Zendaya a new sense of possibility with
her own talents and trade; in a way, that's also what happens to Marie as she expresses
her own worth and value.
Thanks for watching.
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