Zendaya and the team behind the new film “Challengers” made quite the impression on Boston while production set up shop around town in 2022. And according to co-stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, the city also left a big impact on the cast.
During a virtual press conference held at The Maybourne Beverly Hills in Los Angeles on Saturday, the actors opened up about how experiencing the city influenced their preparation for the film.
When asked about the type of music that got him into character on set, O’Connor revealed that he created a motivational Spotify playlist in honor of the Boston Marathon after watching the race with Faist.
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“I didn’t do the Boston Marathon, but I started it because Mike and I went to watch the Boston Marathon while we were shooting ‘Challengers,’” he said. “It inspired me.”
“A year later,” he added, “I did the London Marathon.”
While “Challengers” filmed in Boston and other parts of Massachusetts, the region serves as a stand-in for New York. The sultry sports movie features Zendaya as a former tennis star named Tashi Duncan, who is forced to the sidelines for good after a gut-wrenching knee injury.
Zendaya’s character eventually finds a new path in coaching her husband and fading tennis pro, Art Donaldson (Faist), entering him in a low-stakes tournament to get his groove back. However, he ends up facing off in the finals against his old friend — and Duncan’s ex-boyfriend — Patrick Zweig (O’Connor), resurfacing a years-old love triangle that turns up the heat on and off the court.
When asked how they cultivated their friendship turned rivalry on screen, Faist admitted that he and O’Connor spent much time getting to know each other while exploring the city.
“We went out to Boston, we had six weeks of training and rehearsal,” Faist said at the press conference, noting that it was a “very luxuriant time” in the city leading up to filming.
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“Josh and I would spend any other time that we had running lines around Boston,” he added. “We’d go to the park. We would walk around the city and we would run the lines.”
Faist revealed that the daily commute also gave him and O’Connor ample time to bond (as any T rider can imagine). Those extra moments together made it easier for them to bounce off each other on set “just like a tennis match,” according to Faist. “And then, more or less, we knew each other’s lines.”
“Challengers” opens in theaters April 26.
Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.