"She reminds me of my daughter"— Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles compliments Zendaya while attending Challengers premiere

Beautycon Festival Los Angeles 2019 - Day 1
Beautycon Festival Los Angeles 2019 - Day 1 (Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Beautycon)

Tina Knowles gushed over Zendaya's evolution from a child actress to a leading star during her appearance at the premiere of Challengers in Los Angeles on April 16. During an interview with Variety, Tina Knowles commented:

“I love Zendaya! The first time I saw her, I used to watch her in the Disney series with my grandson [Julez Smith] and she just reeked of stardom. She is just the most gracious, beautiful girl, and she reminds me of my daughter — she’s a Virgo like my daughter [Beyoncé]!”

Tina Knowles is a fashion designer and philanthropist who established popular brands like House of Dereon and Miss Tina by Tina Knowles. The American businesswoman is the mother of Beyonce and Solange Knowles and was awarded the ACE Award in 2001 for her contribution to fashion.

Challengers is Zendaya's latest film, in which she stars as Tashi Duncan. The film is essentially a love triangle with an undertone of a tennis drama. Tashi Duncan is a tennis coach who must help her husband break his losing streak when he faces his former best friend, who also happens to be Tashi's ex-boyfriend. Starring Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist, Challengers will be released in theaters on April 26.


Tina Knowles showers praise on Zendaya after attending the LA premiere of Challengers

Beyonce's mother, Tina Knowles, praised Zendaya and gave her the ultimate compliment after attending the Los Angeles premiere of the latter's new film Challengers on Tuesday, April 16.

During an interview with Variety after the screening, Tina Knowles praised Zendaya and compared her with her daughter, Beyonce. Knowles also discussed Zendaya's rise from child actress to stardom and recalled that the first time she watched her was in a Disney series with her grandson, Julez Smith. According to Knowles, she "just reeked of stardom."

As a child actress, Zendaya starred in many Disney creatives in varying capacities, like Shake it Up, PrankStars, Zapped, Frenemies, etc. However, she is best known for playing Rocky Blue in Shake It Up (2010–2013). Although we aren't sure what show Knowles was referring to, we can assume it was one of the abovementioned.

Tina Knowles went on to call Zendaya a "gracious, beautiful girl" and said that she reminded her of her daughter because they share the same zodiac sign.

Beyonce's birthday is on September 4, just three days after Zendaya's birthday on September 1. Therefore, the two share the same zodiac sign, i.e., Virgo. Last year, Beyonce even gave Zendaya a special birthday gift by shouting her name on September 1 during her Renaissance Tour concert at SoFi Stadium in Englewood.


Zendaya's connection with Beyonce goes back to her Lemonade days

Zendaya's connection with Beyonce began with her appearance in Queen Bey's Lemonade visual album in 2016. The album contained powerful visual imagery, spoken word poetry, and a host of celebrities, including Serena Williams, Zendaya, Beyonce's family, Winnie Harlow, Amandla Stenberg, Lisa Kainde, and Naomi Diaz.

In 2021, the Spiderman: Homecoming actress paid tribute to Beyonce's iconic Versace "Crazy in Love" look at the BET Awards and was also a part of her Renaissance Tour in 2023 with her boyfriend, Tom Holland.

Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios "Challengers" - Arrivals (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios "Challengers" - Arrivals (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Zendaya's upcoming film's theme is another link between the two stars. Beyonce's first Oscar nomination came in 2022 for the song Be Alive. Queen Bey co-wrote that song with DIXSON for the film King Richard, a biopic of Venus and Serena Williams' father and coach, Richard Williams, played by Will Smith.


Zendaya revealed that this one person in the LA premiere of Challengers made her nervous

Venus Williams also attended the Los Angeles premiere of Challengers on April 16. After the premiere, Zendaya confided that Venus' presence made her both excited and nervous. The Challengers star revealed to ET:

"I heard that she [Venus Williams] came and I was like, ‘No way, this is the coolest thing!’ So I’m very nervous ’cause I know Serena [Williams] has seen the movie but I’m very nervous about her seeing my tennis."

The actress issued an apology in case Venus found any flaws in her tennis playing style. She also said that she's gotten a lot of support from her friends, family members, and other juggernauts in the industry.

“It’s great. I mean, I feel so lucky. I have so much beautiful support around me. Even tonight, I have so many family — they’re over there — family and friends here.”

Other people who attended the premiere include her Euphoria co-stars and her boyfriend, Tom Holland.

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