CHALLENGERS has released multiple trailers in the lead-up to its April 2024 premiere.
Eager fans waiting to see the highly-anticipated sports and romance movie want to know more about its filming location.
Where was Challengers filmed?
According to Country & Town House, Challengers was filmed in Boston — as well as other Massachusetts towns — from May 3 to June 26, 2022.
Per MA Film Office, the towns include Bedford, Beverly, Braintree, Canton, Framingham, Lynn, and Norton.
“However, specific locations were kept under wraps during filming as much as possible due to fears that Zendaya’s loyal fans – as well as paparazzi – would interrupt,” Country & Town House states.
“For example, while scenes in the trailer show Tashi (Zendaya) playing at the US Open, these scenes were not filmed in Queens at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center where the tournament is held, but at smaller venues in Massachusetts instead,” the outlet continues.
What did the cast say about the filming location?
According to The Boston Globe, star cast members Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist spoke about Challengers’ filming location during a virtual press conference at The Maybourne Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California.
They spoke about how experiencing Boston “influenced their preparation for the film,” per the outlet.
When asked about the music that helped him get into character while filming, O’Connor shared that after watching the Boston Marathon with Faist, he made an encouraging Spotify playlist “inspired” by the race.
“I didn’t do the Boston Marathon, but I started it because Mike and I went to watch the Boston Marathon while we were shooting Challengers. It inspired me,” he said during the press conference on Saturday, April 20, 2024.
Most read in Entertainment
The British actor added that he ran the London Marathon the following year.
Faist shared that he and O’Connor spent a great deal of time getting to know one another while checking out Boston when asked how they “cultivated their friendship turned rivalry on screen,” per The Boston Globe.
“We went out to Boston, we had six weeks of training and rehearsal,” the Ohio native said.
He also said that it was a “very luxuriant time” in Boston before filming.
“Josh and I would spend any other time that we had running lines around Boston. We’d go to the park. We would walk around the city and we would run the lines,” he continued.
2
Faist also shared that the daily commute gave him and O’Connor plenty of time to form a connection. The additional time together made it easier for them to bounce off one another on set “just like a tennis match,” Faist said during the press conference, per the outlet.
“And then, more or less, we knew each other’s lines,” he continued.
Who is in the cast of Challengers?
Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Donaldson, O’Connor as Patrick Zweig, and Faist as Art Donaldson.
“Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach is married to a champion on a losing streak. Her strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend,” the tennis drama’s IMDb description states.
Its first official trailer was released on June 20, 2023, and has since received over six million views on YouTube.
Its second official trailer has also garnered over six million views on the social media platform since it was shared on February 21, 2024.
Challengers is set to be released in theaters across the US on Friday, April 26, 2024.