{"id":85933,"date":"2024-03-28T13:45:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T13:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/28\/who-is-zendayas-challengers-costar-mike-faist-5-things-to-know\/"},"modified":"2024-03-28T13:45:03","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T13:45:03","slug":"who-is-zendayas-challengers-costar-mike-faist-5-things-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/28\/who-is-zendayas-challengers-costar-mike-faist-5-things-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is Zendaya’s ‘Challengers’ Costar Mike Faist? 5 Things to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n Zendaya, Mike Faist.<\/span> Getty Images(2)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mike Faist<\/strong> was already a known star of the stage before teaming up with Zendaya<\/strong><\/a> in the upcoming movie Challengers<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Faist, 32, got his start in Broadway musicals before branching out into film and TV. He generated buzz with the Prime Video series Panic<\/em>, written and created by author Lauren Oliver<\/strong>, but it was his performance in the 2021 movie adaptation of West Side Story<\/em> that caught Hollywood\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe this is so pretentious, but West Side<\/em> was everything I had ever hoped to accomplish as an actor,\u201d he told The New York Times<\/em><\/a> in 2021. \u201cIt\u2019s really crazy, but it was transcendental: either I didn\u2019t feel like I was myself, or I was the most authentic version of myself. I can\u2019t really tell which one. Having gone from having no money, wanting to just be a working actor \u2014 I don\u2019t want to just be a working actor anymore. I had that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, Faist confessed that he had a love-hate relationship with acting. \u201cIt\u2019s not like I don\u2019t plan on doing it. I just don\u2019t want to follow the trajectory of what the industry wants me to do,\u201d he explained, adding that he wasn\u2019t interested in being told to \u201cput on a cape and wear a mask.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Stars on Broadway Through the Years<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tActors from Scarlett Johansson to even singers like Carly Rae Jepsen have exited stage left at some point in their careers. Click through to see which of your favorite stars have hit the stage on Broadway.\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

West Side Story<\/em> earned Faist a BAFTA nod for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, but after the blockbuster hit, he turned his focus back to the theater. Faist joined Lucas Hedges<\/strong> in a 2023 West End production of Brokeback Mountain,<\/em> playing Jack Twist (portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal<\/strong> in the 2005 movie).<\/p>\n

Fans have been eager, however, to see Faist command the screen in Luca Guadagnino<\/strong>\u2018s Challengers<\/em> alongside Zendaya, 27, and The Crown<\/em>\u2018s Josh O\u2019Connor<\/strong>. The tennis movie was set to debut in 2023 but was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe three of us, really, we had a lot of fun training together and working together. It was definitely a memorable summer,\u201d Faist said in a 2023 interview.<\/p>\n

Challengers<\/em> hits theaters on April 26. Scroll down to learn more about Faist:\n<\/p>\n

1. He Was on Food Stamps Before His Big Break<\/h3>\n

In a 2017 Interview<\/em><\/a> magazine profile, Faist opened up about moving to New York to pursue acting. After dropping out of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, he was dragged \u201ckicking and screaming\u201d to an audition for a production of White Christmas<\/em> in Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ended up booking it. I was collecting food stamps and getting paid $150 a week. We lived in the back of a McDonald\u2019s parking lot, but I was a professional, working actor. That was my first gig. I was 17, and that gave me enough confidence to finally go and say, \u2018I can actually do this,’\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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2. He\u2019s Originated 2 Roles on Broadway<\/h3>\n

Faist made his stage debut in the 2012 production of Newsies<\/em>, originating the role of Morris Delancey on Broadway following a regional production in New Jersey. He was later cast in Dear Evan Hansen<\/em>, playing Connor Murphy in the original cast alongside Ben Platt<\/strong> in the title role. Faist left the show in 2018 after two years.<\/p>\n

Connor was played by Colton Ryan<\/strong> in the 2021 movie adaptation. \u201cI feel like I couldn\u2019t do it. I started that when I was, like, 21 \u2026 It really took a lot out of me, and I didn\u2019t really have it in me anymore,\u201d Faist told The New York Times.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>‘Challengers’ Movie: Everything to Know About Zendaya’s New Tennis Drama<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tZendaya is bringing the heat both on and off the court in her upcoming sports drama, Challengers. The Luca Guadagnino-directed film stars Zendaya as Tashi, a tennis star caught up in a messy love triangle with fellow athletes Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O\u2019Connor) that follows the trio from their teenage years into adulthood. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

3. He\u2019s a Grammy Winner<\/h3>\n

Faist and his Dear Evan Hansen<\/em> castmates won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2018. He was also nominated for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical at the 2017 Tony Awards.<\/p>\n

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