Zendayais ready to jam.
“Zendaya’s having a great moment right now,” he says.
“She’s taking ownership of her image, her brand, her business.
Zendaya, left, and Lola Bunny in ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy.'.Christian Gilles / Newspix via Getty Images; Warner Bros. Pictures
She’s really the embodiment of Lola, to tell you the truth.
That’s the kind of projection of Lola that we wanted to have.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Fun fact: You are only two months older than the originalSpace Jam.
Lola Bunny in ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy.'.Warner Bros. Pictures
ZENDAYA:I grew up with it, because I come from a basketball family.
I kind of have a different idea of what I want to do."
Smart call by your parents, since I’d say it’s worked out for you!
Was she your personal favorite?
Or, I don’t know, maybe you were more of a Marvin the Martian girl?
Marvin the Martian is actually my older sister’s favorite animated character ever.
She has a magnet at my grandma’s house, still!
It doesn’t move nothing at grandma houses move.
[Laughs] It’s still there, this little Marvin the Martian.
I loved Bugs because he’s like the face of the Tunes.
The cover girl, the cover bunny.
But she obviously ends up being such a crucial member of the team and really holding them all together.
When they’re going off on their looney moments, she brings everyone back.
I’m glad they thought maybe I could use my voice and bring her to life.
She’s a badass bunny.
What was that initial reaction like when they approached you with this Lola Bunny idea?
I have to imagine that was a pretty surreal moment.
Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal.
It’s like, “Wow, that’s an iconic character.”
So I felt very lucky that they wanted to do that with me.
So there wasn’t too much weight on my shoulders.
And I really enjoyed myself.
You mention Malcolm, andI remember talking to himfor ourNew Legacyfirst look cover.
I didn’t know that was going to happen either!
[Laughs] But I understand, because she’s a lovable character.
She’s very important, so I get it.
[Laughs] No, but I felt really grateful just to have the opportunity.
Earlier you mentioned your basketball family history, so how you compare Zendaya’s game to Lola’s game?
Zendaya’s game is absolute trash in comparison to Lola’s.
The handles are just nothing.
The last shot is always the one everyone remembers.
Just need one swish and you’re out.
Space Jam: A New Legacypremieres Friday in theaters and on HBO Max.
