Does 'The Drama' Know Zendaya Is Black?

About this episode

Wesley Morris discusses Zendaya's role in 'The Drama' and the film's handling of race with guest Gina Cherelus.

Wesley loves Zendaya. The actress caught his eye as the charming but drug addled Rue in HBO’s “Euphoria.” But he thinks Hollywood hasn’t cast her in roles worthy of her considerable gifts. So when Zendaya showed up in the movie “The Drama” as a young Black woman with a secret from her past that threatens to derail her engagement to Robert Pattinson’s character, Wesley was cautiously optimistic. Here were two of Hollywood’s finest in a complex, high stakes, love affair — one made even more interesting by its interracial realities. But the movie inexplicably dodges the question of race. So Wesley invites Gina Cherelus, who covers dating and culture at The New York Times, to help him unpack "The Drama" — what it knows, and doesn’t, about what it’s up to.

People in this episode

Host: Wesley Morris

Guest: Gina Cherelus

Topics covered

• Hollywood casting
• race in film
• interracial relationships
• Zendaya
• Euphoria
• cultural commentary

Keywords

• Zendaya
• The Drama
• Hollywood
• race
• Euphoria
• interracial
• Gina Cherelus

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HBO, The New York Times

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