Actors John David Washington and Zendaya scorched the latest W Magazine cover with an ode to “Old Hollywood”-melanin edition. The publication dropped a series of glamorous photos on its Instagram announcing the Malcolm and Marie stars as the models on its cover. The shoot was appropriately named Their Place In The Sun.
According to W Magazine, the photoshoot was “inspired by socialite C.Z. Guest.”
“Introducing W’s latest cover stars: @zendaya and @johndavidwashington. In a photo fantasy inspired by Slim Aarons’s images of socialite C.Z. Guest, the Malcolm & Marie stars subvert the conventional idea of white society by portraying a Black couple living a similarly extravagant lifestyle,” the magazine wrote on its Instagram account.
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The pair’s on-screen chemistry reignited for the 1950s glamour shoot. The shoot’s backdrop was a ritzy mansion with a pool, a cozy- yet elegant living room and a whimsical convertible. The actress also scouted the white estate for the project, the magazine reported.
Zendaya talked about the mood of the shoot.
“That’s the mood I want…that life, but reimagined for now, with the look of then,” she expressed. “Two Black actors in this setting seems like rewriting history in an elegant manner, like kind of an Old Hollywood that we wished existed in these photos. It’s almost like righting a wrong.”
The stylist of the shoot, Law Roach, chimed in saying, “Doing a Slim Aarons shoot, but with Black actors. The visuals matter. The way change happens is when people can see wealth and grandeur in a way that they are not used to seeing it.”
Washington eagerly complimented Zendaya after seeing her transformation from brunette to blonde. The Shake It Up star had experimented with during quarantine. And her newly-found appreciation for serving new looks came in handy for the photoshoot.
Roach explained that Zendaya’s blond tresses were paramount to the imagery, which aimed to take a “jab at the traditional stereotypes of white women and way to become a character.”
“The entire outfit—the jewels, the gorgeous gown, the stilettos—they don’t make the same statement without the blonde hair.”
Washington bought into the concept.
“Black royalty!” he exclaimed. “Looking very, very good.”
“It’s never too late for the world to change.”
Zendaya sizzled in couture designers Bulgari, Chanel, Carolina Herrera and Valentino. Washington matched her fly in Dolce & Gabbana, Hermès, Burberry, and Giorgio Armani. They both donned clothing by vintage couture house Gucci.
