Summary
Zendaya’s assistant, Darnell Appling, makes a surprise appearance inChallengers, and it was a total coincidence that he got the part. One of thebest drama movies of 2024,Challengersis Luca Guadagnino’s eighth film and another excellent entry in the director’s quickly growing canon of movies. Like many of Guadagnino’s films,Challengersis a sexy, titillating, deeply intimate movie.Tennis is the backdrop of a years-spanning love trianglebetween two friends, Patrick (Josh O’Connor) and Art (Mike Faist), and their lover, friend, coach, and idol, Tashi (Zendaya).
Tashi is a champion tennis player inChallengerswhen she’s first introduced and Patrick and Art are immediately smitten. An unexpected tennis injury forces Tashi off the court, but she remains a fixture in both Patrick’s and Art’s lives, as all three compete against each other in one way or another.It’s a different performance from Zendaya than any she’s given beforeand evidence that she’s capable of more mature and difficult parts. She clearly enjoyed the role, judging from the press tour, and the feeling on set was apparently collaborative considering how Guadagnino cast Zendaya’s assistant.
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Luca Guadagnino Cast Darnell Appling As The Challengers Umpire After Seeing Him Onset With Zendaya
Appling Thought He Would Just Be A Stand-In For A Scene
Darnell Appling has a small but very memorable role inChallengers. He plays the umpire in the intense challenger tennis tournament between Patrick and Art that weaves through the movie. He’s seen sitting up on his perch and frequently heard declaring points, faults, and towards the end of the film, trying to keep order as Art and Patrick butt heads. It’s, by necessity, a very one-dimensional performance. Appling plays an umpire, after all. He’s not supposed to show a great amount of emotion as an unbiased moderator of the match.
Even so, Appling has a memorably unique, soothing, and clear voice that makes every matchpoint announcement crystal clear.
Even so, Appling has a memorably unique, soothing, and clear voice that makes every matchpoint announcement crystal clear. He’s also got a lot of style, from his maintained dreadlocks to his crisp yellow shirt under his suit jacket. It’s one of the many flourishes by Guadagnino that helps enhanceChallengers. And it could very well not have happened if it were not for Zendaya. Appling is Zendaya’s long-time assistant and friend, and he was just getting his boss a cup of coffee when Guadagnino called him over for a scene. Appling toldVulture,
“I used to be Zendaya’s stand-in [onK.C. Undercover], and I thought they just needed a body for the camera. I came down [from the umpire stand], and Luca said, ‘I feel like you have a strong spirit of truth and justice and was wondering if you could play the umpire.’ I said it was totally up to [Zendaya] who said ‘Absolutely!’ It was all Luca who’d seen my aura and what is surrounding me. It is true! Truth and justice, that’s all me.”
So he just happened to be in the right place at the right time, andthen he nailed the opportunity when given it. In an interview withGQ, Appling also discussed his experience with the film and Guadagnino was so serious about the part that he wanted Appling to attend umpire school,
“It didn’t really hit me, I thought it was like a featured background part. And then [Luca] said, ‘Okay, I want you to go to umpire school.'”
Appling loved filming, despite some nerves,
“I think I was there for two or three weeks. It was really fun. I’m going to be honest with you—a couple of days leading up [to filming], I got nervous. And I kept telling myself, ‘Okay, Darnell, calm down, it’s okay.’… I was scared, and then I saw how excited she [Zendaya] was for me and it put me at ease. She wants the best for you, and she wants you to succeed too. I wanted to make her proud.”
Though it was Zendaya and Guadagnino who got Appling the part,he truly earned it with his performance, ensuring their trust wasn’t misplaced.
What’s Next For Darnell Appling
Appling Starred In A Shoe Commercial With Roger Federer And Zendaya
Darnell Appling hasn’t said much about what’s next for him.It’s unlikely he will instantly give up working with Zendayaconsidering he’s been with her for so many years. However, he did post an ad on his Instagram on July 08, 2025, for the On sneaker company,
In the commercial, Zendaya and Roger Federer play a game of “air” tennis while Appling reprises his role as the umpire, announcing the points as theChallengersscore plays overtop. This could be a sign that Darnell Appling enjoyed his time on camera and may be looking to get back in front of it soon.
Challengers
Cast
Challengers follows tennis player-turned-coach Tashi as she transforms her husband Art into a Grand Slam champion. To revitalize his career, she enters him in a lower-tier tournament where he confronts his past, facing both his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.
