USA TODAY International Edition
‘ All hands on deck’ kept ‘ Malcolm & Marie’ moving
John David Washington says co- star Zendaya, crew made set safe, fun during lockdown.
Remember last April, when the world went into lockdown to deal with an out- of- control pandemic? That’s when John David Washington decided to leave the Los Angeles family bubble he shared with parents Denzel and Pauletta Washington to shoot a new movie. ● When his film “Tenet” was pulled from the release schedule amid coronavirus theater closures and as Hollywood production shut down, Washington joined “Euphoria” star Zendaya, writer/ director Sam Levinson and 19 crew members to create a “Malcolm & Marie” bubble – shooting the intimate film with just two actors. ● Crazy, right?
“That thought crossed my mind,” says Washington, 36, during a Zoom call days before the black- and- white drama started streaming on Netflix. “But in the most positive way. Like it was crazy that I was finally going to break up the routine. Finally, I was able to do something that I love – shooting a movie, even if I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like.”
The resulting film is a showcase, a $ 2.5 million independent drama purchased by Netflix for a reported ( and astounding) $ 30 million. “Malcolm & Marie” serves as a model of art overcoming pandemic, shot entirely with Washington and Zendaya in and around the architecturally stunning Caterpillar House in the remote hills of Carmel, California, at Santa Lucia Preserve.
No one was allowed to leave the property during the six- week shoot with strict COVID- 19 protocols. He bonded instantly with his co- star over their mutual love of Beyoncé (“I knew we’d get along after that”) during hikes in the nearby hills and
masked rehearsals in an outdoor parking lot.
“We even did a camera test outside in that parking lot,” says Washington. “It was a new wave of independent filmmaking.”
The entire cast and crew multitasked to make the film in uniquely challenging conditions. Zendaya brought many of her own glam Marie outfits; Washington used his own iPhone. His executive producer sister Katia worked as set transport, safety warden and even emergency tailor. She helped fit Washington’s Prada suit, as costume designer Samantha McMillen gave directions over a Zoom call.
“That was a new experience,” says Washington with a laugh. “But it fit perfectly and I loved that suit. It really was all hands on deck.”
The drama follows filmmaker Malcolm and his girlfriend, Marie, for an evening after they return from his triumphant movie premiere. The two fight, make up, and fight again as their relationship is laid emotionally bare.
The film opens with former NFL player Washington joyously dancing to James Brown’s “Down and Out in New York City,” to show Malcolm’s excitement about the successful premiere. Washington repeated the moves over three days as Levinson reworked the shot.
“We would move on, do other scenes. But we would always come back. ( Levinson) would be like, ‘ I got an idea now,’ ” says Washington, who tapped into his own feeling of exhilaration, receiving a rapturous standing ovation for “BlacKkKlansman” at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. “I could relate to that moment of celebration. That high. It’s hard to explain. It’s just a feeling. Joy, that relief. That it worked.”
Not as easy for Washington were the more physically intimate moments with Zendaya.
“In the famous words of the ‘ In Living Color’ character, ‘ Hated it,’ ” Washington says. “I hate intimate scenes, kissing scenes, lovemaking. All of that stuff. I’m so awkward, I’m so uncomfortable with it.”
But he worked through it with Zendaya and Levinson. “You do what you gotta do. It’s important to have that for the characters because of what this devolves into.”
Critics have carped about the real- life age gap between the onscreen couple: Zendaya, 24, is a dozen years younger than Washington. He gives props to his more- seasoned co- star, who won a 2020 Emmy playing high schooler Rue on “Euphoria.”
“She is more experienced, more mature in this industry than I am. She’s teaching me stuff. I’m the novice here. I’m the rookie,” Washington says. “I had to shut up and listen because she knows what she’s talking about. She really is my senior.”
The two are clear equals when it comes to screen sparring, even if Marie placates her partner by serving up his favorite mac ’ n’ cheese, which he wolfs down.
“It’s his energy. Marie calls him a barnyard animal. He was channeling this Neanderthal,” Washington says. “He’s putting it into the mac ’ n’ cheese.”
Watching Malcolm ravenously eat the meal, it’s hard to believe that Washington is in reality a mac ’ n’ cheese snob, thanks to his mother’s prized homecooked dish.
“It is very good. So talk about critics. I’m a harsh critic of mac ’ n’ cheese because of that,” Washington says. Still, he shoveled in heaping spoonfuls for multiple takes. “It was eight or so bowls. So it was not a happy morning for me.”
Film critics have been tough on “Malcolm & Marie,” which was noticeably absent from Golden Globe nominations and carries a saggy 59% percent positive rating on review site RottenTomatoes.
While Malcolm storms onscreen about even favorable reviews, Washington insists that’s not him. He avoids all reviews, good or bad.
“I’m too sensitive to read that stuff,” he says.
“Malcolm & Marie” already has triumphed in his eyes. Washington, a producer on the project, says he put down his own cash to keep the film independent.
“Credit cards, checks, all that. I did everything I could with it. I literally invested in myself and everybody else. We all did. We got to tell the story we wanted to tell. So I’m proud. I’ve never been so proud of something.”