Are the guys gay in challengers

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Through a non-linear narrative, the film follows Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig, two childhood friends who take on the world of professional tennis together. Given the tension between the two after Tashi’s inclusion into their dynamic and the resulting drift between them, it’s most likely that Patrick and Art never explored the possibility of romance between them.

Thus, it’s more than likely that the kiss Patrick and Art share in the hotel room involving Tashi might be their first kiss with each other.

As such, their paths eventually diverge until they meet back again at the final Challengers match. As such, ultimately, Patrick and Art’s sexuality remains fluid, with both men showcasing an attraction toward multiple genders.

Does Patrick and Art’s Relationship Ever Go From Platonic to Romantic?

While Patrick and Art’s sexuality and mutual unresolved attraction toward one another is easy enough to decipher, the duo’s past presents a different story.

When O’Connor was asked about whether the movie features a queer storyline, he shared his thoughts on one our most highly-anticipated of the 2024 movies

When speaking to Variety, Josh O’Connor gave his take on Challengers core trio. They’re trying to understand where that plays out and how it plays out."

Josh continued: "So I don’t know if there’s a clear-cut answer to that, but I think that they’re all tied in.

Josh O'Connor Explains Their Sexualities And Their Kiss

26 April 2024, 17:34

By Sam Prance

Here's what Josh O'Connor has said about whether or not the characters in Challengers are queer.

Challengers revolves around a tense love triangle but there's a question on everyone's lips: Are the film's characters queer?

Ever since the trailer for Challengers dropped, people have been eager to know more about the central love triangle.

In his words: 

Yeah, I think… they’re all fluid. I think they all kind of love each other and they’re figuring that out and trying to understand where that plays out and how it plays out. From consistent close proximity, lingering glances, and the homoerotically charged churro scene to their rivalry over Tashi’s affection, the duo’s future post-kiss becomes influenced by their feelings of attraction.

Therefore, it’s safe to assume both Patrick and Art are queer, though both remain unlabeled.

Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Here's what Josh O'Connor has said about the characters' sexualities in the movie.

Are Patrick and Art bisexual in Challengers?

'Challengers’ cast talk filming d*ck slaps and Zendaya’s real-life scars in ‘Question Tennis’ 🎾

Talking to Variety about Challengers and whether or not Tashi, Art and Patrick identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community in the film, Josh said: "Yeah, I think they’re all fluid.

He revealed: "We all kind of figured it, how are we going to do this? The information adds a weirdly intimate experience to the duo’s dynamic. So, I don’t know if there’s a clear-cut answer to that but I think that they’re all completely tied, they’re all in, they’re all tied to each other.

Challengers is about longtime best friends and tennis players Patrick and Art who get their lives turned upside down when they meet tennis prodigy Tashi.

However, it also proposes the question of whether or not something else ever happened between the two boys. The movie ultimately leads up to a spicy match up between the best friends after they since become enemies. 

Ahead of Challengers hitting theaters next Friday, April 26, critics are raving about Zendaya’s latest movie, with one calling it a “blisteringly sexy” grand slam.

Yet, Patrick and Art’s competitiveness over Tashi remains laced with mutual jealousy at the other man choosing Tashi over themselves.

are the guys gay in challengers

Therefore, Tashi’s entry into the duo’s life brings an uncharted factor into their dynamic.

Tashi arrives in the narrative as an incredible tennis player whose presence on the court instantly attracts everyone’s attention. It was fairly organic. Furthermore, it sets the tone for their continued closeness.

Therefore, the same, paired with her electric personality, draws Patrick and Art to her. Although the audience gets to hear about their past, the narrative never directly follows the characters before their late teenage years. However, as their paths cross with Tashi Duncan, a magnetic tennis prodigy, their mutual attraction toward the woman drives a wedge between the boys.

The film tells the story of Art (Mike Faist) a former tennis champion who plots a comeback with the help of his wife Tashi (Zendaya). In contrast, Art focuses on his marriage with Tashi, content to let his attraction toward men— which only manifests as an attraction toward Patrick— go unexplored.