Zendaya Had to Calm Down Robert Pattinson Before Filming a Scene for ‘The Drama’: Actor ‘Went Crazy’ for Three Days
No drama here. Robert Pattinson recently shared how his co-star Zendaya eased his overthinking as an actor. Pattinson, who co-stars with the “Challengers” actress in Kristoffer Borgli’s upcoming A24 film “The Drama,” told French publication Premiere that Zendaya made him less “crazy” amid his dissection of the script.
“The Drama” was announced in August 2024 and centers on a couple whose romance takes an unexpected turn before their wedding. Mamoudou Athie also stars.
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“We had a scene together that was driving me crazy,” Pattinson said of filming the feature. “I was desperately looking for its meaning, writing pages and pages of textual analysis. I ended up calling Zendaya the night before shooting the scene. I shared my doubts with her, I spoke for two hours, and after a while, very calmly, she made me understand that the line just said what it meant to say, that there was no hidden meaning.”
He added, “And there I was going crazy for three days.”
Perhaps Pattinson’s analysis of the script is an indicator of just how twisted the film’s plot might prove to be, as filmmaker Borgli knows his way around messed-up stories. He previously helmed the trippy “Dream Scenario,” also for A24 and the darkly funny “Sick of Myself.” Also of note: “The Drama” is produced by horror and suspense mastermind Ari Aster. Borgli recently signed on to direct “The Shards” series for HBO, based on Bret Easton Ellis’ serial killer novel.
“The Drama” isn’t the only production that Pattinson has been teasing. The actor told GQ that he almost had a “mental breakdown” while filming Lynne Ramsay‘s “Die, My Love.” Another martial drama, “Die, My Love” is about two spouses (played by Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence) who deal with a postpartum affair. Yet it was the dancing component, and not the emotional turmoil of the plot, that led Pattinson to voice his struggles on set.
“I did this movie with Lynne Ramsay, and she’s a really good dancer. And Jennifer Lawrence is a really good dancer. They just find it so easy,” Pattinson said about being asked to freestyle dance for the role. “They’re like, ‘Just dance, it’s just music playing, just dance,’” Pattinson said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to have a mental breakdown when this happens. We need to either choreograph it or cut it.’ And they’re like, ‘No, just dance, stop being all freak.’ It came to the day, and I was sweating so much, the insides of my trousers, with sweat, were wet.”
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