Luca Guadagnino on working with Mike Faist in Challengers: "He’s a man of action but, at the same time, he’s a man of complete self-control and deep repression"

Luca Guadagnino on working with Mike Faist in Challengers: “He’s a man of action but, at the same time, he’s a man of complete self-control and deep repression”

Challengers hits Indian cinemas on April 26th, 2024, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino serves up a new film titled Challengers, a romantic sports drama starring Zendaya as Tashi Duncan. Zendaya transforms into Tashi, a force to be reckoned with. Once a tennis prodigy, Tashi's career was cut short by injury. However, her fiery spirit found a new outlet – coaching. Now, she's dedicated to reviving the career of her husband, Art Donaldson (played by Mike Faist). Art, a champion facing a brutal losing streak, needs a spark to reignite his passion for the game. Tashi devises a plan – enter a low-level challenger tournament. But here's the twist: their opponent is none other than Patrick (Josh O'Connor). Patrick's a washed-up player with a complicated past – he's not only Art's former best friend but also Tashi's ex-boyfriend.

Luca Guadagnino on working with Mike Faist in Challengers: “He’s a man of action but, at the same time, he’s a man of complete self-control and deep repression”

As the past collides with the present, tensions soar on and off the court. Tashi finds herself grappling with a complex question: what sacrifices are necessary to achieve victory? Faist portrays Art with a captivating blend of determination and introspective vulnerability. We see Art wrestling with his desires, both personal and professional.

“The thing that struck me the most about the character of Art Donaldson and his arc was the idea of a person that maybe has fallen out of love with their craft,” says Faist as he delves deep into his character. “All of us have those ideas sometimes of what we want to be ‘when we grow up’ — being so sure of something as a kid and then adjusting things as we come up against the real-world implications of it all. In Challengers, you see these young people who are in love with what they do, and then we see them older and dealing with their lives and thinking, ‘What do we want the rest of our lives to look like?”

“When the film opens, Art is one of the top five tennis players in the world, he’s a multiple grand slam winner slumming at a Challenger match,” Faist continues. “But he’s won basically everything except for the US Open, and he’s on his way to achieving that goal. But he’s also probably on his way to retirement and is really questioning what’s next for him — or even if he has it in him to try and go for the big title.”

Talking about working with Mike Faist and his role, filmmaker Luca Guadagnino says, “One of the things that was attractive about Mike is that he comes from theatre — he has a physicality in the way he dances and drums and sings, both onscreen and on Broadway. That was important because Art Donaldson is a man of action. He’s a man of action but, at the same time, he’s a man of complete self-control and deep repression. For me, Mike could bring that beautiful contradiction. Where the character of Patrick, through Josh O’Connor’s performance, brings humour and disillusionment, I think the character of Art through Mike Faist presents a sort of brotherhood, anguish, and a sense of fragility. And both men are being held by this powerful woman, Tashi — who also presents a point of contact between them. And all three then go beyond the boundaries we set for ourselves in the language of desire. That’s another element of the story I found fascinating.”

Behind the camera, Guadagnino brings his signature visual mastery. With the help of cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Challengers promises to be a visually stunning experience. The film's score is composed by the legendary duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The costumes are designed by the esteemed international designer Jonathan Anderson.

Produced by Why Are You Acting?, Frenesy Films, and Pascal Pictures, Challengers hits Indian cinemas on April 26th, 2024, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.