I styled Zendaya’s wigs for Challengers – I’ve worked with her since her Disney days, how I made each look seamless
MORE of Hollywood is wearing wigs than you realize — and that’s because their stylists are doing a very good job.
The pro behind Zendaya‘s multiple hair changes in the newly released film Challengers revealed what exactly goes into the star’s stunning tress transformations.
Kim Kimble, 52, has styled mega-A-listers including Beyonce, Rihanna, Taraji P. Henson, Oprah Winfrey, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Garcelle Beauvais.
Recently, she worked on the Challengers movie set and was responsible for Zendaya’s many hair transformations.
The film was released in theatres on April 26 and racked up $15 million dollars in the box office opening weekend.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino, Challengers follows the story of two best friends, Art Donaldson, played by Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor’s Patrick Zweig.
Once they meet Zendaya’s character Tashi Duncan, a young and ambitious tennis champion, it spirals into a series of events that impact their lives for the next decade.
The film follows the characters above from their youth into their 30s and to showcase the differences, multiple hair styles were necessary.
Kimble is responsible for all the transitions depicted in the film and shared some behind-the-scenes details with The U.S. Sun.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Kimble’s relationship with the actress goes back to when Zendaya was a teenager dancing on the Disney Channel.
“The first time I worked with her we did a photo shoot for her album cover,” she said.
It was due to good timing and good luck after a friend reached out to her because they were no longer able to.
“He had something else booked and she was doing an album years ago when she was still on Shake It Up. She was very young,” she explained.
The hairstylist must have left a good impression because, after that point, she said they would call her “from time to time.”
Whether it was a red carpet event, magazine shoot, or movie set, Kimble went where the opportunity presented itself.
STYLE SWITCH
Kimble admitted that she “changed her hair quite a bit in the movie.”
At the start of the film, Zendaya’s teen character has long, thick wavy brown hair that falls down her back.
Tashi has a shorter cut with her brown hair around her shoulders in the middle.
You never want it to look like you’re wearing a wig. You want it to look seamless.
Kim Kimble
She has a mature blonde bob cut to make herself look physically older in her 30s.
“When you’re doing characters, they have to show the different range of their age, so we had to have a different look.”
“You know, she was supposed to be in her thirties, and then when she was younger as a teenager, there is that look, and they’re different lengths.”
As a result, they swapped in different wigs for multiple parts of the movie to show a time-lapse and gradual maturity.
“You never want it to look like you’re wearing a wig. You want it to look seamless,” she explained.
FILM FEELS
“When you’re doing that for anybody, it needs to make you feel like, ‘Oh can you handle that hair?'” she said.
Kimble explained that wigs should be seamless on camera because “you don’t want to take people out” of the scene and focus on it.
She said they looked natural because they were “well constructed” and designed specifically for Zendaya.
“I cut them all. Styled them. It was definitely well-made the construction but also the style technique,” she added.
She also used good tools and products, so the texture matched the actress’s follicles.
“It wasn’t too far off from where her hair looks like and sometimes you do have to change the hair depending on what the characters use,” she explained.
DIFFERENT DETAILS
Kimble revealed that it’s a very different style for a film compared to a red carpet.
“They’re playing somebody else and they need to look exactly like someone else,” she said.
But when you’re doing a red carpet or magazine shoot, it’s all about style and fashion.
“There’s some stuff out there that’s not well-made, but a really good stylist will make it work,” she added.
Kimble is renowned for her custom, one-of-a-kind wigs created for celebrity clients.
She has also done Zendaya’s hair for both American Vogue and British Vogue‘s May 2024 covers.
And her designs just became a bit more accessible with her new collection of wigs for Hairuwear.
They feature a realistic lace front hairline, dimensional shades, and soft synthetic hair.
There are currently 20 styles on offer in colors ranging from red to blonde to gray, with prices from $219 to $469.
