Zendaya's Oscar buzz for Challengers leads to 'category fraud' debate among fans

-Credit: (Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
-Credit: (Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)


A heated debate has erupted online over whether actress Zendaya deserves an Oscar for her role in sports drama Challengers.

The film, which accrued a whopping $94.2 million globally, spins an intense narrative around a love triangle featuring tennis stars Tashi Duncan (played by Zendaya), Art Donaldson (portrayed by Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (acted by Josh O'Connor). After a career-halting injury, Tashi turns into a coach for her spouse Art, pitting him against rival player Patrick in chasing the grand slam victory.

Fans have lavished praise on the Luca Guadagnino-directed motion picture, stirringly promoting Oscar speculation surrounding the 27-year-old actress.

A recent article by Variety endorsed her as a potential contender for the 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' category at the 2025 Academy Awards. Additionally, X page Film Updates noted that Zendaya is slated for the Lead Actress submission, with her male co-stars vying for Supporting Actor nods.

However, this tweet, having gained traction with over 1.8 million views, has stirred up a divide among the film's fans, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Rat boys are having their moment
(L to R) Mike Faist as Art, Zendaya as Tashi and Josh O'Connor as Patrick in CHALLENGERS, directed by Luca Guadagnino -Credit:2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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A user contested: "This year's first egregious category fraud. O'Connor and Faist are 1,000% the film's leads and Zendaya is supporting. Patrick and Art's relationship is what's driving the story."

The term 'category fraud' was coined to label questionable cases where Oscar contenders seem misplaced in terms of categories, especially between leading and supporting roles, often leading to heated discussions. Alicia Vikander's 2016 win for Best Supporting Actress in The Danish Girl is a prime example of this controversy. Fans argued that she deserved recognition as the lead because she accounted for about 50% of the film's runtime.

With Faist, O'Connor and Zendaya having almost identical screen times in Challengers, fans are questioning Zendaya's validity as the lead.

One fan voiced their opinion: "Yeah no, anybody that's seen this movie knows Zendaya is absolutely not the lead in it lol." Another expressed their disbelief at the notion she could be considered the lead, writing: "Ok this is ridiculous. Zendaya is actually supporting here. Both guys are leads! WTH!".

However, some fans are celebrating the predictions. One fan jubilantly declared: 'If Zendaya wins this award I will never shut up about it. STEAKS ON ME." Another pondered: "Zendaya potentially being the first Black woman to win the best actress Oscar since Halle Berry would be special."

Halle Berry remains the only Black woman to have won an Oscar for Best Actress; she clinched the gold for her 2002 role in Monster's Ball, directed by Marc Forster.

The official nominees for the Academy Awards are due to be announced in January 2025.