When Zendaya Found Out She Was Auditioning For Spider-Man—Right Before It Happened!

Her presence in the Spidey reboot was a breath of fresh air, breaking the mold of the traditional comic book love interest. With just a few scenes, she managed to steal hearts, scenes, and Peter Parker's attention, no superpowers required. And let's not forget, her chemistry with Tom Holland? Practically electric. Zendaya didn't just join the MCU ; she walked in, gave it a new vibe, and made it cooler by default.

At the time, she thought she was auditioning for something super vague like "cool girl in a superhero movie." No biggie, right? Turns out, it was the girl, MJ. And she only found that out right before her screen test. Imagine thinking you're just reading for "side character #3" and then finding out you might be the new face of Marvel's most iconic love interest. Casual.

Zendaya admitted she didn't even know what kind of character she was auditioning for, was it a nerd? A love interest? Someone who walks by in the background eating a sandwich? Who knows! But that's the charm of Marvel secrecy: even the future MJ had to play detective.

So, what exactly was Zendaya doing in Spider-Man: Homecoming, aside from delivering dry one-liners and giving off major cool-girl-who-doesn't-care energy? Well, as it turns out, she was hiding in plain sight as the MCU's reimagined "MJ." Not Mary Jane Watson, though. Meet Michelle Jones, book-loving, sarcasm-wielding, eye-rolling queen of background commentary.

For most of the movie, Michelle is just there. Judging people, reading during class competitions, and generally being the person you wish you were in high school. Then, bam! in the final act, she casually drops a line that had Spider-Man fans doing double takes, "My friends call me MJ."

Hold up. MJ?! As in Peter Parker's forever girl, Mary Jane Watson?! Suddenly this quirky side character was carrying a legacy that includes upside-down kisses and iconic catchphrases. But unlike the red-haired drama queen of the Raimi trilogy, Zendaya's MJ is low-key, mysterious, and kind of allergic to popularity contests. Basically, she's the anti-Mary Jane with the same destiny.

Source: See here