Spider-Man will enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a solo film in 2017, a ground-breaking move for the hero whose film franchise belongs to Sony. The collaboration between the two has set a new outlook on how movies are made in Hollywood. The new film will also bring with it a new cast that may be the most accurate to the comic characters age group, one of them being actress Zendaya.
The actress received some controversy after speculations circulated that she would be playing Peter Parker’s love interest Mary Jane Watson. Fans were on two side about this rumour, one being livid that a beloved red-headed traditionally white character was not being given justice on screen, while the other half were supportive of the forward thinking nature of the casting. It seems like the controversy was for naught, as the actress herself seemed to imply she was not playing Mary Jane.
Zendaya was asked by The Hollywood reporter if she was playing Peter Parker’s love interest. The actress gave a surprising answer:
“ My character is not romantic. My character is like very dry, awkward, intellectual and because she’s so smart, she just feels like she doesn’t need to talk to people. Like, ‘My brain is so far ahead of you that you’re just not really on my level.’ So she comes off very weird. But to me, she is very cool, because she’s deep. She’s always thinking about something, always reading. I like that. And I also like that I don’t really have to do anything for hair and makeup. I just get to walk in and walk out.”
Zendaya’s description of the character seems to be the polar opposite of whom Mary Jane is as a character. The Comic Con Spider-Man clip of Zendaya’s character showcased the physical difference from Mary jane as well. While Watson has red hair, Zendaya’s character Michelle [as she has been listed in the cast listing] has frizzy hair. The actress also addressed the controversy that she had created among Spider-Man fans:
“People are going to react over anything. But nothing [about who she is playing] is fact. It’s like, you guys are just making shit up at this point and then reacting to it. Whenever we were on set, one of us gets some random character name [on the call sheet]. [Bloggers were] like, ‘Oh they must be so and so.’ And we just crack up about it, because it’s like, ‘Whatever you want to think. You’ll find out.’ It’s funny to watch the guessing game. But of course there’s going to be outrage over that because for some reason some people just aren’t ready. I’m like, ‘I don’t know what America you live in, but from what I see when I walk outside my streets of New York right now, I see lots of diversity and I see the real world and it’s beautiful, and that’s what should be reflected and that’s what is reflected so you’re just going to have to get over it.’”
