Zendaya opens up about filming threesome scene Daniel Craig labelled as ‘biggest c**k tease in movie history’

The 2024 film Challengers has become one of the year’s most buzzed-about movies, blending tennis, tangled emotions, and a love triangle that kept fans hooked from start to finish.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the movie stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy whose career is cut short by injury.

Instead of dominating the court herself, she ends up coaching her husband, Art, played by Mike Faist, as he chases his own tennis dreams.

But things take a complicated turn when Art finds himself squaring off against Patrick, played by Josh O’Connor, who also happens to be Tashi’s ex - and Art’s former best friend.

At the heart of the drama is a steamy, tension-filled scene where Tashi finds herself in a hotel room with both Art and Patrick.

Sparks fly, and kisses are exchanged, but the scene stops short of an actual threesome.

Fans were left wanting more, and apparently, they weren’t alone. Daniel Craig, no stranger to on-screen tension himself, had some strong opinions about the moment.

In a conversation for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Craig, who worked with Guadagnino on the film Queer, didn’t hold back.

Referring to the scene, he said, “The scene in the hotel room, where they don’t have sex with each other, is the biggest c**k tease in movie history.”

He went on to praise Guadagnino’s ability to set up such a charged dynamic, calling it an “elaborate setup” that built toward “the moment of love.”

For Craig, the scene captured something deeper than physical attraction. “You see a love between the two guys that trumps everything around it. I’m just a sucker for it. What else is there?” he added.

Josh O’Connor also shared his thoughts on the film’s layered storytelling.

For him, the magnetic pull between the three characters wasn’t just about romance or lust - it was something inevitable.

“Yes, there’s the tennis backdrop, but the desire these three people had for each other is torn apart,” O’Connor said.

“And there’s an invisible magnet that’s dragging them back together. That was definitely a Luca component that was bubbling underneath.”

For her part, Zendaya loved filming the scene and didn’t shy away from sharing her excitement about working with Faist and O’Connor.

Speaking to The Mirror ahead of the film’s release, she described the experience as both fun and rewarding.

“The intimate scenes were so good - I loved it. I felt very lucky to be partnered with those guys,” she said.

Zendaya also praised Guadagnino for creating a safe, collaborative environment on set, saying, “We were so lucky to have a director in Luca Guadagnino who really encouraged us all to collaborate and to bring our own ideas.

“It was a really exciting creative process.”

The now-famous scene might look sultry on screen, but according to O’Connor, filming it had its fair share of lighter moments.

He recalled a particularly funny instance where the tension broke in the best way.

“Me and Mike [Faist] got the giggles because we’re both kissing Zendaya and gradually we end up kissing each other.”

“She’s just backed out and she’s watching.”

“We had this moment of kissing for a while, and then opening our eyes and seeing that it’s just us - that did make us giggle.”