Why the year’s sexiest film is about tennis
ZENDAYA AND HER CHALLENGERS CO-STARS ON BRINGING THREE-LOVE TO THEIR COURT-SET ROMANCE
WORDS OLLY RICHARDS
Friends and rivals Patrick (Josh O’Connor) and Art (Mike Faist) face the heat on (and off) the court.
Young lust: Art and Patrick get very close to Tashi (Zendaya).
Director Luca Guadagnino on set.
Tensions rise for Tashi and Patrick when they meet in later life.
Illustration: Russell Moorcroft, Getty Images
CHALLENGERS IS NOT so much a love triangle as a lust triangle. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Bones And All), it tracks the lives of burgeoning professional tennis players Tashi (Zendaya), Patrick (Josh O’Connor) and Art (Mike Faist). Teenage flirting gives way to adult rivalry both on and off court as Tashi and Art marry, but neither can resist the lure of Patrick. The film’s stars tell Empire how they brought their chemistry to the court.