I think it’s safe to say Zendaya is leaving many folks starstruck right now thanks to her astounding performances in her projects on the 2024 movie schedule – Challengers and Dune: Part Two – alone. However, the actress is also human like us, and she gets starstruck too. That was seen on full display when she found out Venus Williams was at the L.A. premiere of her tennis film, and seeing the actress fangirl was the sweetest thing.
As the worldwide tour for Luca Guadagnino’s sports drama Challengers continues, the cast stopped in Los Angeles for the premiere, and tennis legend Venus Williams was in attendance. Taking to Instagram, the athlete posted an image from the event with the caption “Serve,” which is exactly what she was doing on the red carpet:
Like Zendaya’s best “serve,” Venus was stunning on the carpet, and many showed love for her and her look, including her sister Serena who wrote: “Love this.” The adoration for the tennis superstar was real, as it should be, and it seemed like everyone was extremely excited that she was in attendance. However, I think the star of Challengers may have been the most thrilled.
Over on Zendaya’s Instagram story, she was gushing as she re-posted Venus’ premiere post, writing:
Wow, wow wow… this is so special. [Cupid heart emoji]
On top of that, in the middle of Zendaya’s interview with Access Hollywood at the premiere, she found out that Venus was in attendance and had a priceless reaction. Check it out:
@accesshollywood ♬ original sound - Access Hollywood
Also, during an interview with Scott Evans, Zendaya talked about her love for the Williams sisters at the premiere, saying when told that Venus was there:
I know, I know. You know how nervous I am about her seeing the tennis? I’m like ‘Oh my!’
She went on to say that she would be trying to watch Venus watch the movie to see if it gets her stamp of approval. It’s clear that Zendaya really looks up to this legendary woman, and having both Venus and Serena interact with Challengers means a lot to her.
You can see Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist in Challengers when it hits theaters on April 26.
Based on the stellar critical response Challengers has been receiving, I would bet the Williams sisters enjoyed the movie, and specifically Zendaya. The actress has been receiving great acclaim for her performance in the project where she plays a star tennis player who gets injured and becomes her husband’s coach while dealing with an incredibly complex love triangle between the two of them and another tennis player.
I know if I were to meet Zendaya, I’d have the same reaction she had to seeing Venus. Along with being a phenomenal award-winning actress, she’s also a fashion icon and method-dressing pioneer. Her sparkling green dress and net-inspired look for Challengers have proven that again, and looks like them have helped make her an even bigger more inspiring star.
Adding to all this, her sweet reaction to the Williams sisters, and specifically Venus, was so relatable that it added to my love for her. Basically, all this solidified that if I ever meet Zendaya, I’ll fangirl just like she did.
