‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Star Zendaya Reveals Inspiration For Michelle

Though this is the third reincarnation of the “Spider-Man” franchise, audiences have never seen Zendaya’s Michelle on screen before. The Disney Channel star is playing a socially awkward intellectual in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” and Zendaya confirmed that a certain member of “The Breakfast Club” served as inspiration for her performance.

“Definitely inspiration there,” Zendaya said when asked if Ally Sheedy’s “basketcase” character in the 1985 John Hughes film was a muse during a “Spider-Man” press conference on Sunday. “I didn’t really know what kind of character I was playing until I showed up ‘cause everything’s kind of top secret, you know what I’m saying? So I read the script and I was like ‘OK, she’s interesting. Alright. This is going to be fun.’ And then I met with Jon [Watts, director] and he had so many different references and [‘The Breakfast Club’] was definitely one of them.”

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That probably isn’t too surprising for most fans. In 2015, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said “Spider-Man: Homecoming” would be inspired by movies that John Hughes directed. “We haven’t seen a John Hughes movie in a long time,” Feige told Birth.Movies.Death. “Not that we can make a John Hughes movie — only John Hughes could — but we’re inspired by him, and merging that with the superhero genre in a way we haven’t done before excites us.”

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” trailers have indicated that although Michelle was at one point rumored to be a misnomer for Mary Jane, she seems to be nothing like the outgoing wannabe actress. Michelle, who seems to go makeup-free most of the time, is a nerd. She notes that she sits with Peter (Tom Holland) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) because she doesn’t have other friends. She always has her head in a book and is quick to come up with witty responses.

Zendaya emphasized the importance of the character being an outsider. “Just kind of making that distinct character, making somebody that I think was different and embracing the weird, kind of like we’ve been talking about,” she said. “Young people, it’s OK to be weird. That is OK. And it’s OK to be exactly who you are, and if you make things awkward and uncomfortable, as long as you cool, you know what I mean? That’s the most important thing.”

It sounds like the “K.C. Undercover” star is delighted to play a character as different as Michelle, and she noted that she has personality traits in common with the high school student as well. “I love that she’s outspoken. I love that she says what everybody’s thinking, but she just doesn’t care,” Zendaya added. “So I think that a lot of young people should have that a little bit more. So it was fun playing that dry kind of version of myself, really.”

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It’s not just Michelle who is unapologetically herself. Laura Harrier, who plays Spider-Man’s love interest Liz, said that she hopes young viewers notice how genuine the characters are.

“You don’t have to apologize for who you are. I think we’ve been talking about [this] a lot. Everyone in this movie is so different but genuinely kind of themselves,” Harrier said at the press conference. “Like especially Zendaya’s character who is very different but not ashamed of it, same with Liz and Ned and Flash, everybody. I think if teenagers can take that away, it’d be great.”

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” follows Peter Parker as he returns to school after the events of “Captain America: Civil War.” The teenager wants to prove to Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) that he has what it takes to be an Avenger. Michael Keaton and Marisa Tomei also star.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” swings into theaters on July 7.