Zendaya and John David Washington’s Romance Blooms in Netflix’s ‘Malcolm & Marie’ Trailer

There’s always backlash — and Zendaya is not here for it. In her new movie, Malcolm & Marie, the Euphoria actress, 24, plays John David Washington‘s love interest. However, the age gap — he is 12 years older than her at 36 — has caused some fans to criticize the casting.

Euphoria still lingering and a record-breaking Best Actress Emmy award to top it off, Zendaya's upcoming project looks to be one of her bravest and most exciting to date. Malcolm & Marie stars John David Washington as Malcolm and Zendaya Coleman as Marie.

Zendaya is addressing some backlash regarding her new movie.

John David Washington discusses being reluctant to follow in his father Denzel’s footsteps, his role in “Malcolm & Marie” and more in a new interview with WSJ. Magazine.

The Netflix drama Malcolm & Marie, from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, was one of the first — if not the first — movie that was shot during the coronavirus pandemic. The idea for the movie surfaced after Euphoria shut down production, and Levinson had a conversation with his Emmy-winning star Zendaya about the possibility of making a film during a time when Hollywood was pretty much on hiatus, and Levinson felt a responsibility to get his crew back to work.

“No one fucking cares about that sh*t, Malcolm!” shouts an exasperated Marie (Zendaya). Malcolm (John David Washington) worships the classic filmmakers—a love externalized by way of the vintage title credits that open the film—espousing the genius of William Wyler and the brilliance of “The Best Years of Our Lives” and “Citizen Kane.” Within the confines of this luxe modernist home, nestled in the Hollywood hills, the ensuing quarrel between the couple is unlike any other.

Watch Video: 'Malcolm & Marie' Trailer: Zendaya and John David Washington Have Steamy, Love-Hate RelationshipMarie’s opening salvo is that Malcolm forgot to thank her during his lengthy curtain speech, but that minor betrayal exposes a myriad of fault lines in their relationship, from his ego to her low self-esteem, not to mention the fact that she feels that Malcolm has raided her own past issues with drug addiction and rehab to create the female lead of his film, who’s having issues with drug

In a relatively short time, John David Washington went from the newcomer starring in “BlacKkKlansman” to one of the biggest actors on the planet thanks to films like “Tenet” and the forthcoming “Malcolm & Marie,” which might land him an Oscar-nomination. So, you would have to imagine that the film world is opening up to Washington in a big, big way, and the actor knows the filmmakers he would love to collaborate with next.

Tenet actor stars opposite Zendaya in Sam Levinson’s forthcoming romantic drama Malcolm and Marie, as a filmmaker and his girlfriend coming home from a movie premiere.When asked about the criticism surrounding the decision to cast Washington, 36, opposite Zendaya, 24, Washington told Variety: “I wasn’t concerned about it because she is a woman.”He added: “People are going to see in this film how much of a woman she is.

John David Washington was not “concerned” about the 12-year age gap between him and his Malcolm & Marie co-star Zendaya.The 36-year-old Tenet star and the 24-year-old Euphoria actress play the titular filmmaker and his girlfriend in the upcoming drama for Netflix.And John has insisted Zendaya is a woman beyond her years and has “far more experience” in the movie industry than he does so he’s been “learning” a lot from her.“I wasn’t concerned about it because she is a woman,” he told Variety.

Gallery: From Nurse Ratched to Tammy: Sarah Paulson's Top 10 characters (BANG Showbiz)“People are going to see in this film how much of a woman she is. She has far more experience than I do in the industry.

John David Washington co-stars with Zendaya in “Malcolm & Marie”, a pandemic-shot drama for Netflix that explores the relationship between a director and his girlfriend, directed by Sam Levinson (creator of Zendaya’s HBO hit “Euphoria”).

John David Washington is addressing some backlash.

Clayton Davis John David Washington has been one of the hottest talents in the past few years. The 36-year-old actor emerged on the scene in a major way with Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for best actor.

Euphoria still lingering and a record-breaking Best Actress Emmy award to top it off, Zendaya's upcoming project looks to be one of her bravest and most exciting to date. Malcolm & Marie stars John David Washington as Malcolm and Zendaya Coleman as Marie.

Zendaya and John David Washington are making headlines for their upcoming film, Malcolm & Marie, which is being eyed for award season in 2021.