Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist Have a Group Chat

"I say I’m the mom of the group because I’m always like, 'Hey guys, checking in. Hope you’re okay,;" Zendaya told Vanity Fair of her Challengers' co-stars.

By Lauren Tousignant  |  November 13, 2024 | 9:56am
Photo: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures CelebritiesDirt Bag
Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist Have a Group Chat

There are two big magazine covers out today: People’s Sexiest Man Alive, featuring John Krasinski, and Vanity Fair‘s 2025 Hollywood Issue, featuring all of these people. Going forward, I’d appreciate it if the entertainment industry would spread out its special issues a little.

But we’re here this morning to discuss Vanity Fair’s big, bag Hollywood Issue, which features—sorry, “stars”—Glen Powell, Zendaya, Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel, Zoe Saldaña, Sydney Sweeney, Josh O’Connor, Danielle Deadwyler, Jonathan Bailey, LISA, Ncuti Gatwa, and Bill Skarsgård. Obviously, they each also get their own interview. But, among all the content, I was the most delighted to learn that the Challengers’ co-stars, Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, still keep in touch.

“There’s a group chat,” Zendaya told the magazine. “I say I’m the mom of the group because I’m always like, ‘Hey guys, checking in. Hope you’re okay.’ And to give them credit they do respond. Mike’s the worst at responding, but we let that go.”

Granted, it doesn’t sound like the most active group chat, but that’s fine. It’d also be very unlike Art Donaldson to not respond to everyone, so good for Faist.

“I’m really lucky because they are just the most lovely guys,” she continued. “We also had a lot of fun.” Nice!

O’Connor was also featured in the issue and spoke a little bit about that one Challengers’ sex scene.

“A sex scene is a very strange thing. It’s the least sexy thing in the world. You can ask Mike Faist and Zendaya about that,” he told the publication. “It might look sexy onscreen, but in reality, it’s the same as a fight sequence, a bit of action or stunt, or a dance. It’s a very choreographed, rehearsed thing, and you’re surrounded in a room full of people—someone’s holding a boom microphone and camera and lights.” Whatever, still sounds hot.

Elsewhere in their interviews, Zendaya mentioned being obsessed with The Cheetah Girls and her eight-year-old niece making fun of her for it, and that all she knows about Euphoria is that they’ll start filming season 3 in January, but she’s “excited.” O’Connor revealed that ceramics “is sort of my big passion” (his grandmother is a famous ceramicist), that he has a “great affection” for Prince Charles, and that he thinks New York City “might be my favorite city in the world, and I don’t think I want to live there.” OK!

Maybe Faist isn’t responding because he’s not in the Vanity Fair Hollywood issue.

  • Dave Coulier was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. [Page Six]
  • Eva Longoria has been avoiding the “dystopian” U.S. and splitting her time between Mexico and Spain. Very jealous! [Marie Claire]
  • Tom Brady says he’s “screwed up a lot as a parent.” [Us Weekly]
  • Mark Zuckerberg was in the studio with T-Pain????? [Pop Base]
  • Kendall Jenner‘s got a new haircut… [Just Jared]
  • Lupito Nyong’o joins Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya for Christopher Nolan‘s new film. Fun! [Hollywood Reporter]
  • Gracie Abrams says there’s a “vulgar” version of “That’s So True” that we’ll never hear. Keep it yourself then! [Pop Crave]
  • Martha Stewart was very not interested in a touchy-feely Drew Barrymore interview. [Page Six]
  • Whyyyyy the fuck do we need a Sam Bankman-Fried movie written by Lena Dunham??? [Variety]
  • The Hugh Jackman/Sutton Foster affair rumors keep rumoring. [Daily Mail]

 
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