Back when Zendaya was confirmed to star in Spider-Man: Homecoming, there was a lot of secrecy about what character the actress would be playing – it turns out, Zendaya was similarly kept in the dark during her audition process. The 24-year-old actress has spent the past few years dominating screens, both big and small. Her performance as Rue on HBO Max’s Euphoria helped make the show a fan-favorite, and it allowed Zendaya to earn the title of youngest woman to win an Emmy for Best Lead Actress. On the movie-making side of things, Zendaya has scored several major roles, such as Anne Wheeler from The GreatestShowman and Chani from Dune. She stars in Malcolm & Marie, the upcoming Netflix film with John David Washington that was secretly filmed during the quarantine.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

But before Zendaya took on any of those roles, she had to make a name for herself outside of Disney Channel, which she did by playing Michelle Jones – or “MJ” – in the MCU’s Spider-Man movies. While her appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming was brief, it set up her character as a recluse, quirky, and clever young woman while also allowing her to drop the bombshell by the end of the movie that she would be the MJ of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (decidedly NOT the same character as Mary Jane). When she returned for Spider-Man: Far From Home, audiences got to see much more of MJ’s storyline play out, including a sweetly innocent romance with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.

During a recent GQ video, Zendaya explained that she did not know that she was auditioning for this major character during the audition process. She wasn’t even told that the script she received was for Spider-Man; however, her agents managed to find out that information for her. Continue below to read Zendaya’s full quote:

“We weren’t supposed to know that the script pages that we were reading were for Spider-man, but I did find out that it was for Spider-man cause I have good agents. But I didn’t know what role I was auditioning for. I just thought it was ‘girl in Spider-man movie.’ I didn’t really know what character, or what kind of character, they would be. Right before the screen test, they were kind of saying okay these are the characters that we’re reading for, MJ being one of them and I was like “oh that would be so cool!”

And cool it was, as Zendaya’s take on the character felt fresh, unique, and multifaceted. She also proved to be a different type of love interest who saved herself from the villain and guessed that Peter was Spider-Man. Furthermore, her character did not fall into the typical love triangle drama when another boy showed interest in her, avoiding another overblown trope. Of course, this is not entirely surprising, considering Zendaya makes a deliberate choice to reject roles wherein the character only serves as a backdrop for a male lead. In short, Zendaya may not have known that she was auditioning for MJ, but her talent and charm put her in the position to be the best person to take on the role, and now it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the character.

Hopefully, fans will get to see even more sides of MJ’s character – and Zendaya’s acting abilities – in the untitled Spider-Man 3 movie. When audiences last saw MJ and Peter, they were swinging around NYC together when Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) exposed Peter’s identity and falsely accused him of being behind London’s drone attack Beck caused. Additionally, there are reports that the story will dive into the multiverse, meaning that Zendaya may have the chance to play off other Spider-Man love interests Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson, played by Emma Stone and Kirsten Dunst, respectively. Since filming for the movie is in full swing (pun intended), it won’t be too long until fans get to see MJ again.

Source: GQ

Key Release Dates
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  • Black Widow (2021)Release date: Jul 09, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
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About The Author


Athena Le
(87 Articles Published)

Athena is a Movie and TV Writer for Screen Rant who has a particular lean towards the comedies. That said, her interest in the industry started with her obsession over Doctor Who and she still has a love for sci-fi and adventure. When she is not referencing obscure quotes from Parks And Rec or thinking up Bob’s Burgers-quality puns, she is likely experimenting with food, listening to podcasts, or exploring nature.

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