Zendaya has been killing it latly. With four films on the 2026 movie schedule, wrapping up Euphoria (which you can watch with an HBO Max subscription) on the 2026 TV schedule, and impeccable red carpet looks, it’s been a big year for her. So it’s funny to hear how nervous she got about the start of filming on The Odyssey and that, no matter how successful you are and how much you prepare, there are still some things totally out of your control.
During an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the typically very prepared Zendaya was asked about whether she’d really forgotten a line on her first day. To which she explained that while she was ready to go, the weather had other plans. The Spider-Man: Brand New Day star recalled:
Here’s the thing. I had my lines and I wanted to have them so down. I think I kinda psyched myself out a little bit. It was particularly cold. I was wearing something similar to this, and it was in Iceland. My mouth just was frozen. There is nothing coming out. My mouth would not move…. Literally, it came out like, ‘Blah blah blah.’ So embarrassing.
Sounds like a case of Zendaya probably being harder on herself than anyone else on set would have been. It also seems like director Christopher Nolan really put the cast through it during the production of The Odyssey. For instance, Corey Hawkins climbed a mountain on his first day of filming as Polybus.
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A lot of actors have had to work through wild weather, whether in the extreme heat or the extreme cold, to pull off a cool on-screen moment. Glen Powell knows what it’s like to strip down to nearly nothing in frigid temperatures, since he had to do so for The Running Man. And Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford had to keep from freezing in below zero conditions for 1923.
All of that being said, Zendaya didn’t shy away from the challenging conditions on The Odyssey, working through the cold in a way that you’d never know affected her when watching the film. She showed up on set, pushed through, and turned in a stand-out performance as Athene the Greek goddess of wisdom, who serves as protector and guide to Odysseus (Matt Damon). And she was happy just to be a part of the experience. The Dune: Part Three star added:
But I will say, I think just showing up in any situation like this…. It was such a pleasure and a gift to be able to share scenes with people you’ve admired for so long. Part of you has to compartmentalize to a degree and be like, ‘OK, lock in, we’re working.’ But I was so moved and excited to be there and wanted to do my best work.
You can watch the full clip of Zendaya here:
The Challengers star has been going non-stop, between filming projects and then promoting them. While Zendaya has explained her plans to disappear for a bit after such a high-profile 2026, a big part of why audiences love her is that she’s just so charming. Yes, she’s a boss when it comes to juggling all of her projects and ventures, but she’s also fun and funny, and not afraid to say it like it is in interviews.
Whether she actually ends up taking some time off or she gets drawn into any number of interesting projects that probably come her way, you can still see her reprise her role as Chani in the next installment of Dune when Part Three of the sci-fi epic hits theaters on December 18th.
