Zendaya Describes How She Felt ‘Safe’ Filming ‘Challengers’ Sex Scenes

‘I spoke with my colleagues so that we could find a way to feel at ease,’ Z said about filming the erotic ‘Challengers’ scenes with Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.

Zendaya‘s latest film, Challengers, features a few sensual scenes between the 27-year-old movie star and her co-stars, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. As fans wonder how the Gen-Z icon was able to simulate sexy moments on screen, she and the cast described how they achieved it during a recent conversation.

“We had an intimacy coordinator, which was fantastic and very helpful, because it was important that we felt safe,” she explained, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I spoke with my colleagues so that we could find a way to feel at ease. We played tennis together, we went out together, we rehearsed together. We got to bond and feel good with each other.”

Mike, 32, chimed in by saying, “We were able to spend time together during rehearsals and beyond, especially with Josh. We were able to get to know each other as people before we could get into the film. We created a real friendship that created the basis of the film.”

In the days leading up to the premiere, the Disney Channel alum was approached with questions about the movie’s on-screen eroticism. Although the scenes weren’t what audiences were expecting, they were still a unique sight for Zendaya’s family to watch, she told Entertainment Tonight.

“It was hilarious,” Z told the outlet, referring to seeing her family watch the on-screen sex. “They’ve all seen Euphoria, you know, so it’s not like our first rodeo or anything … It was funny ’cause, you know, obviously I’ve seen the movie many times so I know what’s coming, and they were all sitting behind me, and I got to, like, watch them watch and slowly just be like, ‘Oh god.'”

Although Z isn’t a stranger to on-screen intimacy, many of her fans continued to flood her with questions, with many wondering what her boyfriend, Tom Holland, thought of her performance.

The Spider-Man actor, 27, has made it clear how supportive he is of Zendaya’s latest movie. Shortly after Challengers hit theaters last week, Tom shared the film’s trailer to his Instagram Stories and the promotional poster in an Instagram post, which he captioned, “I know what I’m doing this weekend!”