Zendaya left speechless after freezing first day on Christopher Nolan set

Zendaya has revealed her first day working with acclaimed director Christopher Nolan was far from the glamorous Hollywood moment fans might imagine .

The 29-year-old actress, who plays the Greek goddess Athena in Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey, said the icy conditions in Iceland left her struggling to get her words out during one of the most nerve-racking moments of her career.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, she confessed that she had worked tirelessly to memorise her dialogue before arriving on set, only for Mother Nature to throw everything off course.

“I had my lines and I wanted to have them so down. I psyched myself out a little bit,” she admitted.

But it wasn’t just first-day nerves that got the better of her.

“It was particularly cold. It was in Iceland. My mouth was just frozen. There is nothing coming out. My mouth would not move. Literally. It came out like, ‘Blah blah blah’. So embarrassing.”

Despite the awkward start, the Euphoria star insisted the experience was unforgettable, describing it as a privilege to work alongside Nolan and an all-star cast.

“You have to compartmentalise to a degree. Lock in, we’re working,” she explained. 

“But I was so moved and excited to be there and wanted to do my best work.”

Thankfully for Zendaya, any fears she had about making a poor first impression were completely unfounded.

Nolan had nothing but praise for his leading lady, insisting her performance throughout filming was flawless.

“She was always perfect. Always perfect,” the Oscar-winning filmmaker told Fandango, before joking that complaints about the freezing weather were “kind of on them and not me”.

The director has previously described The Drama actress as the ideal choice to portray Athena, saying she possesses both the screen presence and acting ability needed to bring the legendary goddess to life.

The Odyssey arrives in cinemas on July 17 through Universal Pictures and marks yet another blockbuster milestone for her.

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