Zendaya played John David Washington’s wife in Malcolm & Marie, a film that had some questioning if they were together in real life, too. However, thanks to her convincing role in the HBO series Euphoria, Washington expected to meet a completely different Zendaya.

John David Washington joked that he was disappointed Zendaya wasn’t like her ‘Euphoria’ character

Washington had little exposure to Zendaya when the pair first collaborated in Malcolm & Marie. The only project he saw her in was Euphoria, where Zendaya plays a 17-year-old drug addict. Although Washington was a bit unfamiliar with her work, he confided that he formed an immediate bond with his co-star.

“When we met, we instantly connected. She was wearing her hoodie and glasses and no makeup. She struck me instantly as a quiet, powerful force,” Washington said in an interview with W.

But Washington did admit he had certain preconceived notions about Zendaya because of the show. So much so that he was surprised Zendaya couldn’t really relate to her Euphoria counterpart Rue Bennett.

“Watching Euphoria, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I wonder what she’s been through in real life. Something happened,’” Washington told IMDb. “I’m like, ‘Ok, she’s digging from a place.’ [She] ain’t never drank, smoked nothing in her life. I was almost let down. And then I got extremely insecure, like, ‘You’ve never done nothing? Oh my god.’”

John David Washington felt like a rookie working with Zendaya

Malcolm & Marie seemed to be the exact type of movie that Zendaya was interested in tackling as she got older. She spent the majority of her career playing teenagers, a fact she acknowledged. Even perhaps her most popular role in the HBO series Euphoria didn’t see Zendaya graduate past high school, despite being in her 20s.

“And I get that, I get the Rue of it all, and that totally works and has worked for me, but also I am not a child. And at some point you have to play characters that are your own age and have experiences that you don’t have — for example, having children or getting married. While those are all things I want and I’m looking forward to, they just haven’t happened quite yet,” Zendaya said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Malcolm & Marie gave Zendaya the opportunity to break the pattern. Playing Washington’s wife, Zendaya found a character that was close to her own age. Still, that didn’t stop some critics from complaining about the age difference between herself and her co-star. In an interview with Variety, however, Washington explained why he paid little attention to the criticism. Although Washington was 36 years old at the time of filming, Zendaya was 24. And he was confident skeptics would see just how mature Zendaya was for the film. Additionally, Washington asserted that Zendaya actually had more years on him when it came to the movie industry.

“People are going to see in this film how much of a woman she is. She has far more experience than I do in the industry. I’ve only been in it for seven years. She’s been in it longer, so I’m learning from her. I’m the rookie. I was leaning on her for a lot,” Washington said. “Some of the stories she’s shared about what she’s had to go through with Twitter and everything. I appreciated her wisdom and discernment when it comes to this business. I admire that.”