Zendaya and Robert Pattinson Talk Cardi B, Comedy, and Their Not-So-Cute Meet-Cute in the Latest Off the Cuff

Do you feel like a Gen Z connection

made working together easier?

Wait, I don't even understand the question.

Do you feel like our, you're Gen Z.

Oh, are you Gen Z?

I'm a Zillennial.

I'm on the cusp of both.

Who's our connection?

Oh, just the connection. [laughs]

Yeah, our connection as fellow Gen-Zers.

Hi, I'm Zendaya.

And I'm Rob.

And this is Off the Cuff.

Round one, icebreakers.

What's the most interesting fact you learned recently?

How is this an icebreaker?

[laughs] Just to get the conversation started.

Well, they're all too controversial, really.

[laughs] So you don't wanna

publicly- Highly political.

You don't wanna share your facts?

The thing about, do you know, like,

everyone says when you wear like,

Bluetooth headphones, they like,

kind of like kills your brain?

Oh, okay.

But do you know that's actually not true?

Well, that's nice.

And it actually makes your brain better.

I don't know

about that, but- This could be-

You have to send me the study.

What's the last concert you went to?

I was supposed to go to the Cardi B concert,

which I was very excited about,

but I couldn't make it.

And that was devastating

because she also has

a Little Miss Drama Tour. Oh, yeah.

So, that was, that sucks.

So, I watched it in my brain.

Can you watch a whole concert in your brain?

Yeah, yeah. Without even going.

Just magic, yeah. Livestream.

She nailed it. [Rob laughs]

Been busy, y'all, I'm sorry.

I've been making some movies.

What's a useless skill that you're proud of?

Unblocking toilets with improvised devices.

Oh, okay.

Just I found in the bathroom in an emergency.

That's very useful.

That's very useful, yeah. It is.

No, that's actually

quite useful. That's very useful

because like- Sometimes even your hand.

That's like one of my, like, biggest fears

is if you go to someone's house or you're a guest somewhere

and you, the toilet doesn't flush.

You just go. Like that is

a fucking nightmare scenario.

You just dig it out, Rob? You just dig it out,

and then just flick it.

[both laugh]

Hopefully there's a window you just...

Okay, moving on. Moving on.

Describe our meet cute.

I don't know how cute it was.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

I'm like, it was pretty, pretty normal.

Just your average.

No, yeah.

Was it the first time when I went around

to see an episode of Euphoria?

Yes. Technically.

I missed the episode. You know, actually,

I guess it wasn't.

I met you on FaceTime

while you were- For this?

No, no, no.

While you were shooting Batman.

I remember I was shooting Euphoria.

We did like these in-between episodes,

and you were on FaceTime with a friend of ours,

and I said hi to you.

And you probably, you had no reaction.

He was like...

Okay, I do not not remember this at all.

Exactly. That's what I imagined.

'Cause you were like, you had the full,

the makeup, the full smokey eye,

[laughs] if you will.

[indistinct] were talking to?

And you were sitting there,

and I was like, Hi.

And you were like.

[both laugh]

This is literally not a memory for me at all. [laughs]

Great to know.

So I remember our first meeting.

What's something people should admit on the first date

but never do?

[Zendaya sighs]

[Zendaya sputters]

I don't know.

I know this sounds like- They're married. [laughs]

Facts, period. Yes.

That's always a good thing to mention.

I don't, I think that's a great answer, Rob.

I've not been on many dates, so I don't have that answer.

I don't have the statistics.

You not been on many dates?

No, well, I feel like in my line of work,

it's very difficult to do that anyway.

But then also like,

I got to meet my person when we were so young.

Yeah, but you can go on a date,

doesn't have to be a first date, like a date.

But we weren't getting to know each other.

Oh, right, right,

right, right. It's two people

meeting each other and going on a date with a stranger.

It was like two people who've known each other

since they were 19 years old.

Oh, yeah, that literally says the first date.

Sorry. [laughs]

Exactly. Thank you.

Okay. Okay.

Hum the Dune or Twilight theme song.

[both laugh]

Well, go ahead, Rob.

Oh, my God.

I don't, I can't help you.

I can help you with Dune.

I think I've got the Game of Thrones in my head.

[laughs] But you can't really hum the Dune one.

Like the point is to be, ah, you know.

You can't hum that.

Is that Timothy doing that?

It's not. No.

It sounded like him we were watching-

Really? I think it's a young woman.

Is there a Twilight theme song?

Do you know it? Is it...

♪ Dum, dum, dum-du-du-dum, dum, dum ♪

That's Harry Potter, right?

That's Harry Potter. [laughs]

That's another one of your films.

Round two, getting personal.

Oh, shit. Getting personal.

What's your current go-to brain rot?

Brain rot.

It's always the same stuff.

[laughs] Like what?

I'm so curious.

A little example? It's like,

I just wake my phone to listen to me

and then send me things that make me outraged.

Okay. And I'd be like, oh.

Anyway. [Zendaya laughs]

Do you know what a floppy disk is?

Yes. I'm not that young.

My life is even so simple.

It is the little...

It's like...

It's not really floppy. Yes.

When's the last time you committed to a lie?

Committed. This lying thing is really...

Yes, it's ruining my life.

What? Oh, the committing to lies?

Why have to say lying about this, lying about that?

I've never lied about anything in my whole life.

[laughs] Well, that's a lie. That is a lie.

Committed to a lie.

You definitely live lied before.

You've admitted that. Yeah, it's kind of like,

I get a giant vein that comes on my forehead

whenever I lie.

So I, like, you just have to,

I had to wrap it up. Okay.

When's the last time you got the ick?

Last time I got the ick? Mm-hmm.

Like with someone else?

Like someone else gave me the ick

or I got the ick from myself?

'Cause you can like self ick, I feel like.

Or you cringe yourself out a little bit.

I'm definitely, you know, I feel that just in general,

like when I'm doing something in my brain,

there's like a ick/cringe meter going.

I'm like, Ooh, I hope they cut that out.

Like, what?

But do you know what I mean?

Like, you don't have that inside, just internally?

You're like, Ooh, why did I say it like that?

Or Ooh, why did I...

You know? Mm-hmm.

Even trying to explain what a floppy disk is, I'm like...

That gave you the ick? [laughs]

It gave me the ick because I'm like,

now it seems like I don't know what it is,

but I don't know how to explain

what it is. That's a low,

low ick bar. Anyway.

[both laugh]

A low ick bar. Ick bar.

Round three, The Drama.

What's your favorite thing about me? Go on.

Favorite thing about you.

Very talented. Thanks.

You, like, incredibly hardworking.

Thank you.

Very nice to everyone.

Thanks. Across the board.

I appreciate, that's three things.

[Rob chuckles] Thanks, Rob.

All right.

What's the worst thing you've ever done? [laughs]

We actually tried to play this, remember?

Oh, yeah, we actually did. Yeah.

We went around and we tried to do this,

and I really was struggling.

I'm not saying I'm a perfect person or anything,

but I can, I'm mean, I'm not,

I can't say that I've really done something

that's like, damn, like,

because I have tremendous amounts of guilt anyway

living as a human being.

So I don't think I could, like,

really do something dirty like that

because I feel like it would haunt me

for the rest of my life.

I like that everyone else admitted to when you and me

when I, nothing.

Nothing. I never did anything.

I've literally never done anything bad.

And Mamoudou was so... It wasn't even bad.

It wasn't even bad.

He was like, he was really struggling to say his story

and then when he said it, we were like...

That's a good thing.

Oh, you were like 12, like it's all good.

Like, it's not even, it's okay.

Like it's all good. You can release that.

Okay, what's something unexpected you did

to prepare for the role of Charlie?

I don't know about unexpected, but I did,

I talked to a friend of mine who went to the same college

that the character went to, just talked to him for,

because he was an English guy who went to American College.

Yeah. And he studied art history.

And then I was just talking to him for a while.

I'm like,

Huh, I'm gonna like do- Steal your-

I'm just gonna do

an impression of you. Personality.

[both laugh]

And I think when he first saw it, he was like,

Wait, what? What is happening?

Is it, do you think it's very similar to this person?

Not really. Similar glasses.

Okay. So you stole his glasses.

I stole his glasses. Okay.

And then tried not to wear them.

And any chance you could-

I didn't realize, yeah, with glasses,

I actually have like a use.

He kept trying to like, in scenes be like,

Well, do I need the glasses?

And we're like, Rob, you've committed to wearing glasses.

Your character doesn't magically can see well now.

You gotta keep glasses on.

What's something people should talk about

before getting married that they usually don't?

Now that you're married! [laughs]

I mean, a lot of stuff.

You gotta, you know,

I feel like you gotta do it all.

You gotta dig it all up, you know?

Put it, hell, yeah. Nah.

Because this is a- Surprise.

[both laugh] Surprise, I'm crazy.

Nah, it is boring if you just know everything.

Well, we have very different takes on that.

It makes the stakes.

That's the interesting thing about relationship.

You gotta have high stakes.

Like high stakes risk.

That's what does

it for you? He's exciting.

If you don't anything about the person,

it's romantic [indistinct].

[laughs] I feel like that's not true

for your personal life at all.

I feel like you guys know each other very well.

You guys love each other. It's like, great.

Anyway. Do what I say, not as I do.

[chuckles] That's my advice.

Round four, lightning round.

Okay. What's this look from?

That's Harry Potter.

Boom! Okay.

And this one?

That's when I was at Met Gala.

Okay. Boom!

And finally this.

That's the Ring of the Nibelungs.

[Zendaya] The what? What?

[chuckles] Ring of the Nibelungs, my first movie.

It was your first movie?

Yeah. Oh, second.

It's my wig cap.

The only, the rest of it was a wig.

I just had my- It's hovering.

And it would always up just like a flap at the front.

Yeah, it's like a little,

it's a lot of height there, a lot of volume.

What's this look from?

That is from Lemonade.

Just a little Beyonce video I was in.

Whoa. How did you know that?

That's crazy.

Oh, I know that. [laughs]

It was buried in my memory. Wait, is that you?

Yeah. Yeah, that's me.

Very exciting.

Mm. What about this?

That is, I'm not trying not to look at the thing,

Tom Ford.

I wore a Tom Ford breastplate thing.

Like some, I believe it was Critics' Choice.

It is the Critics' Choice Awards.

There we go.

Do you recognize this?

That is my first, well, not my first music video,

but one of my early music videos

back in my pop star era.

[upbeat jazz music]

Instant electricity or a slow burn?

I feel like, can you have both?

You know what I mean?

Yeah. Yeah.

Watching your own movies or never seeing the final cut?

I like watching the movies.

How many times do you watch your movie?

As many times as, like,

I don't know, the occasion comes up.

I'm not like putting on my own movies at home.

But it's like I will go to the premieres

and will watch it with the audience.

I enjoy it.

Have you ever like, at home, been like,

okay, like everyone needs to sit down just-

And watch me?

Yeah. Yeah. No.

Never? Not once? No.

I think, I... Yes.

The only time I've done that

is when there was like the in-between episodes

of Euphoria during COVID

that I was like really proud of, and I...

Yeah, in fact, I literally did that with you. [chuckles]

Yeah, no, but those were,

that was when the episodes were coming out.

That's true. Yeah.

Romance movies or heartbreak movies?

I like a heartbreak movie.

I knew you were gonna say that.

Yeah. Give me romance.

You know, give me a happy ending.

Batman or Spider-Man.

Ooh, careful now.

I don't know really what I'm considering.

Obviously, Batman.

Batman, like way cooler.

Oh, girl. [Rob laughs]

Okay, anyway, viral meme about you

or viral conspiracy theory about you?

I don't think I've ever really had a conspiracy theory,

viral meme.

There's like one, it's so weird what becomes a meme.

So weird. Yeah.

Like the picture.

Do you ever see that picture

like it was from like a finning.

I'm like sitting in like a kitchen.

Standing in the kitchen. Yes.

I was like, what? Yes.

Like why- How did that?

It's bizarre.

But it's great though. It's a great image.

That's why I got thrown with this whole,

'cause like, again, it was a very chronically online thing.

And I'm not anymore.

And I was confused

by this Zendaya hat theory thing.

I think the purpose of it is that it doesn't make sense.

I wore a hat once,

and then I guess, I don't know.

I don't, I can't explain it 'cause it makes no sense.

It's like classic like brain...

I don't understand it.

It makes me feel very out of touch,

but I don't think it means anything.

And then there's like conspiracies

I wore this hat once that like,

Tom lives in the hat,

and like people live- Live in the hat?

In the hat.

And like, I have like a dark version of myself that is like,

taken over once I wore the hat or something?

I don't know, girl.

The internet is a weird place.

Crying scene or fight scene?

I would say fight scene

just because crying scenes really stress me out.

Like the days before a crying scene,

I'm like very anxious. Yeah.

But a fight scene, I'm like, let's fucking go.

You know?

'Cause I know that like no matter what,

I feel like I feel good about the choreography.

Like I'll be able to do it.

But then crying scenes, like, I don't know,

like it might come today really easily

or it might, like, take some music,

and take a little, like, you know,

doesn't just happen so fast.

One perfect take or 20 chaotic takes?

Oh, I think it just depends.

I'm not giving very straight answers,

but it's like sometimes,

sometimes you get it.

And if you get it, you get it,

and you're like, We got it, let's move on.

And I'm totally cool with not wanting to, like,

beat a scene to death.

But also sometimes you find really fun things

where you're just like,

fuck it, let's just keep going and see what happens.

So I don't know.

Yes or no?

Yes or no to what? To life.

That is the question.

The Drama? Yes. Yes.

[both laugh]

Us, yes.

So we're going with yes.

We're going with yes.

Final answer.

Do you feel like you learned anything about,

do we learn anything about each other

through this experience?

I learned you were in the Lemonade music video,

which somehow I missed. [laughs]

I can't believe you missed that. Okay.

Yeah, it's pretty, pretty cool.

Pretty cool thing to say.

But I feel like, did I learn anything about you today?

No, I feel like this confirms what I already know to be true

about the one and only

Robert Pattinson. Yeah.

I know that he has three favorite things about me.

[Rob chuckles] So, yeah.

So you're nice. You're cool and...

[Rob laughs]

You act good.

[Rob chuckles]

[upbeat jazz music]