“John David, Sam and I are the owners of this film,” says Zendaya. “It’s not like it belongs to someone else and I just got hired.”
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Zendaya said his “agency was disbanded” after the outrage over “Malcolm & Marie” was written and directed by a white filmmaker. Zendaya’s creator of “Euphoria” Sam Levinson is credited as the writer and director of “Malcolm & Marie”, but Zendaya keeps his voice and perspective loaded in the film’s script. “Malcolm & Marie” had many negative reviews, with several reviewers criticizing Levinson’s writing about two black characters.
“What’s interesting is that I think a little bit of our agency has been destroyed,” said Zendaya in reaction to the reaction. “As if this were kind of like Sam spewing things through us, not realizing that we’re not just actors in this, but we’re co-financiers and producers with PGA brands. You can’t get them unless you really do the job. “
Zendaya continued: “I think it also mirrors Marie’s situation a little strangely, right? It’s like Marie saying the whole movie [Malcolm’s film] it’s also mine. But in reality, in real life, we have the credit, this is ours, and John David, Sam and I are the owners of this film. It’s not like it belongs to someone else and I just got hired. He wrote for us too, and I think if you are going to write something, you have to recognize the experiences of [Black] character you are writing. I thought a lot of the conversations I had with Sam happened. “
Levinson himself expressed similar feelings shortly after the release of “Malcolm & Marie” in early February. When asked by Esquire UK if he had any concerns about doing “Malcolm & Marie” as a white man, Levinson replied: “No, because I have faith in the collaborative process and in my partners that if I write something that I don’t feel true, that JD or Z do not respond or feel they are honest, that they are going to say something and we will resolve it. I didn’t have any anxiety in that sense, because I have a lot of respect for the collaborative nature of film production. “
The director added in a separate interview to The Independent: “There are certain things that I’m not going to get 100 percent right about what it’s like to be a black creative, but what I can do is write what feels true to the character and have faith in the process collaborative film production. “
Zendaya was nominated for Best Actress at the Critics Choice Awards for her performance in “Malcolm & Marie”, which is now being broadcast on Netflix. Go to The New York Times to read the actress’ latest interview in full.
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