Turns Out, Zendaya Filmed an Entire Secret Movie During the Pandemic

Though many have feared the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may have put shooting big-budget Hollywood films in jeopardy for the foreseeable future, Zendaya, John David Washington, and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson have successfully shot a quarantine-era movie—proving that Hollywood as we know it may not be dead after all.

Malcolm & Marie is the first feature film to be shot during the pandemic, and it was filmed between June 17th and July 2nd at a single location: the Caterpillar House in Carmel, California. Though the logline of the script is currently under wraps, Deadline reports it carries the same feeling and emotion of Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.

After the second season of Euphoria was put on hold due to the pandemic, Deadline reports that Zendaya, who is also co-producing the film, called Levinson during the quarantine and asked if it would be possible to shoot something during the shutdown. Levinson wrote Malcolm & Marie in six days and found financing in New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schafer, who have pledged to donate their proceeds from the film to charity.

Malcolm & Marie pic.twitter.com/99RWzgLFbD

— Zendaya (@Zendaya) July 8, 2020

The Malcolm & Marie shoot took COVID-19 safety protocols seriously, Deadline reports.

The entire thing was shot with a lean crew, with each member responsible for a variety of tasks that would usually be handled by different people.

The entire cast and crew took regular coronavirus tests and quarantined for two weeks before shooting started. Then, once shooting began, no more than 12 people were allowed on set at a time, and everyone had their temperatures checked at the beginning and end of every shoot day. Extra time was carved out for crew to sanitize all the gear, and crew members could not interact with the cast members unless they were wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Furthermore, precautions like constant social distancing, disposable cups and cutlery, limited paper distribution, constant mask-wearing, and appropriate hygiene reminders were omnipresent during filming.

So, it can be done—and thank goodness Zendaya was the one to show us the way.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, HelloGiggles is committed to providing accurate and helpful coverage to our readers. As such, some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, we encourage you to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments, and visit our coronavirus hub.