Different 12 Years Of Player Age, Making Films Malcolm & Marie Bullied By Netizens

Poster Malcolm & Marie (Instagram @malcolmandmariefilm)

JAKARTA - Actor John David Washington and actress Zendaya were brought together in a film called Malcolm & Marie. The film will be released exclusively on Netflix Indonesia on February 5.

Malcolm & Marie tells the story of a director and his girlfriend's romance on their way back home after attending a film premiere while awaiting comments from critics. But by nightfall, their relationship was in conflict.

Starring two well-known stars, Malcolm & Marie did not escape public criticism. Since the trailer was released on January 9, netizen comments have graced Zendaya and John David Washington's YouTube and social media trailer videos.

Not a few people feel Zendaya and Washington are too far apart - 12 years. Zendaya is still 24 years old side by side with John David Washington who is 36 years old.

Zendaya realized fans' concerns and responded to the criticism.

“People often forget - maybe that's understandable because I've been acting since I was 16, you know - (but) I'm an adult. I know as I grow and I develop, there will be moments where I can play someone my age. "

Zendaya, the Shining Little Star

Actress Zendaya started her career at a very young age. Shake It Up, Disney's first series put Zendaya as the main character, CeCe Jones. The success of Shake It Up made it the second most-watched series in Disney history.

As if he didn't stop in the world of acting, Zendaya also mastered the world of singing and acting. Its popularity was achieved thanks to various series and television shows made by Disney.

After that he became increasingly known after starring in the Spider-Man: Homecoming film franchise with Tom Holland.

Having pursued an acting career since childhood, Zendaya has become an iconic child artist figure. This all cannot be separated from the Disney image attached to it.

In 2019, Zendaya took on his first adult role Euphoria. She played the role of Rue Bennett, a teenage girl who just got out of a rehab and is struggling to get rid of her drug trap. Zendaya received the 2020 Emmy Awards for Best Actress.

Then came the project Malcolm & Marie, Zendaya's first adult role in a feature film. Quoting Deadline, Sam Levinson, the director said that Zendaya's role, Marie, was made based on Levinson's point of view towards Zendaya.

Zendaya is intelligent and loves challenges. "She gave Malcolm & Marie (the offer) and I fell in love with the challenges and the possibilities of what happened - and this idea came from the maturity side of the actress."

The Age Distance Phenomenon in Hollywood Movies

The issue of large age gap in Hollywood films has been a longstanding issue. There have been many films that pair two players with very distant ages. Lost in Translation, a 2003 film starring Scarlett Johanson at 18 with Bill Murray at 52.

if ur gonna complain about zendaya and john david washington's age gap then you should've done the same for any taylor joy and james mcavoy, lost in translation instead of calling it a masterpiece, literally every Bollywood movie.

- love, suma (@kctnas) January 9, 2021

Or the film Third Person which aired in 2014. It is known that Liam Neeson is 62 years old while Olivia Wilde is still 30 years old. However, at that time the role of social media for promotion was not so big that netizens could not give criticism like the current situation.

According to the Guardian report, in general, in romantic films, more male actors are older in terms of age than female actors. In addition, the small age gap is mostly found in films directed by women.

Seeing the many issues in the film Malcolm & Marie is a form of fan care for Zendaya's career. But more than that, Zendaya is considered mature and has the right to choose the project he wants. Moreover, the film Malcolm & Marie is a collaboration of the two with Sam Levinson.

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Judging by the critique site Rotten Tomatoes, Malcolm & Marie got a rating of 62% from 55 reviews where many critics gave positive responses. The chemistry of John David Washington and Zendaya is one of the important points in this film.

Interestingly, the film was produced in a short period of time - two weeks and only Washington and Zendaya played Malcolm & Marie. Because it was done in the middle of a pandemic, only 12 people worked on the production team.

Despite the controversy surrounding her age, Zendaya did not defend herself alone. John David Washington, co-star in the film Malcolm & Marie also spoke up.

“I don't feel bothered by (the age issue) because (Zendaya) is a woman. People will see how big she is as a woman. He has more experience than me in the industry. I've only been here for seven years. "

"What I'm looking forward to when this film is released is - they'll see how mature (Zendaya) is in this role," said Sam Levinson.

Malcolm & Marie became Zendaya's way of showing maturity and emotion for a role that her fans had never seen in her previous works.