News | Entertainment
29 Dec 2025 6:19
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Zendaya dedicated her special Gotham Award to her mom

    The 28-year-old actress received the Spotlight Tribute at the Gotham Independent Film Awards on Tuesday (02.12.24), for her leading role as former tennis pro-turned-coach Tashi Duncan in Luca Guadagnino's acclaimed romantic sports film 'Challengers'


    Zendaya - who also received a producer credit for the flick - thanked the many creatives and crew behind the blockbuster and gave a special shout-out to her mother, Claire Stoermer.

    Speaking onstage at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, she said: "To my mom. My mom's here tonight; she's embarrassed."

    The 'Euphoria' star insisted that her part is just an "amalgamation of the beautiful ideas of the amazing, creative people around me."

    She said: "Without all of them, none of this is possible.

    "So, really, I just have to say thank you to my community of filmmakers, producers, wardrobe, costumes, hair, and makeup.

    "I mean, yes, I get to be up here, and I get to do it, but my character is only an amalgamation of the beautiful ideas of the amazing, creative people around me."

    Zendaya - who spent three months training with a former tennis pro for the role - thanked the movie's writer, Justin Kuritzkes, for "creating a bold and brilliant character like Tashi" and allowing her to take on the role.

    Praising director Luca Guadagnino for his vision, she added: "To Luca, for bringing this thing to life for his, I mean, visionary eye, the way he sees character and humanness and is always so empathetic to all the characters."

    Zendaya's co-star, Josh O'Connor (Patrick Zweig), presented her with the prize and hailed her as a "generational talent".

    He said: "You're a born leader, a generational talent, a friend, and most importantly, a kind heart."

    Thanking him for his kind words, Zendaya quipped: "We hate giving each other compliments, so I'm going to get you back for that!"

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     29 Dec: Brigitte Bardot, iconic French actor, sex symbol and animal rights campaigner, dies aged 91
     28 Dec: King Charles' Christmas speech will be available in virtual reality
     28 Dec: Lily Allen has been "shopping like an insane person" following the success of her album West End Girl
     28 Dec: Sean Ono Lennon fears that younger generations could forget about The Beatles
     28 Dec: Chris Rea shared a poignant social media post in the hours before his death
     28 Dec: Emma Heming Willis admits that Christmas has "changed" since her husband Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia
     28 Dec: Modern Family star Helen Siff has died at the age of 88
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Reigning world champion Luke Littler has fired a warning to his rivals after a dominant display in the third round of the world darts championship in London More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Melbourne could be facing water-restrictions from low-rainfall, a dry summer, and high water-use More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Brigitte Bardot, iconic French actor, sex symbol and animal rights campaigner, dies aged 91 4:37

    Motoring:
    Crews are cleaning up an oil spill along a stretch of State Highway 73, between Christchurch and the West Coast 21:57

    Motoring:
    In Upper Hutt near Kaitoke, the intersection of SH2 and Waterworks Road has reopened after a collision 21:47

    Entertainment:
    King Charles' Christmas speech will be available in virtual reality 20:20

    Entertainment:
    Lily Allen has been "shopping like an insane person" following the success of her album West End Girl 19:50

    Entertainment:
    Sean Ono Lennon fears that younger generations could forget about The Beatles 19:20

    Environment:
    Sandbagging stations are open in Australia's far north, where residents are braceding for a drenching, with a slow-moving monsoon expected to dump up to 700mm of rain 18:57

    Entertainment:
    Chris Rea shared a poignant social media post in the hours before his death 18:50

    Environment:
    Thousands of displaced people in Gaza are preparing threadbare tents in the face of more winter rain 18:37

    Politics:
    Taiwan's cunning tax compliance makes most shopping receipts a ticket in a lottery 18:27


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd