Two of Hollywood’s brightest young stars teamed up during Sunday night’s SAG Awards. Zendaya, 26, joined “Aftersun” actor Paul Mescal, 27, to present outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or limited series on Feb. 26 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. As they made their way to the stage, Mescal seemed unsure if his copresenter needed help up the stairs (a moment Twitter users caught onto quickly).
“I relate to Paul Mescal cause I too would be nervous to be next to Zendaya,” one user tweeted about the moment, with another writing, “Zendaya got Paul Mescal nervous and giggling, he’s just like me.”
Zendaya wore a pink, black, and blue colorblock gown — an outfit change from her carpet look — while Mescal was clad in an all-black look. Ultimately, Jessica Chastain won the award for “George & Tammy.”
Heading into the evening, Zendaya was up for best performance by a female actor in a drama series for her role as Rue Bennett in the acclaimed series “Euphoria.” The award ultimately went to Jennifer Coolidge for “The White Lotus.”
Zendaya had been sweeping all award season. Back in September 2022, the actor snagged her second Emmy win for outstanding lead actress in a drama, and as a result, she made history as the youngest person of color to win twice in the best actress in a drama series category. Then, in January, Zendaya won her first-ever Golden Globe for best actress in drama. Although she wasn’t in attendance at the ceremony, Zendaya shared a heartfelt message to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on Instagram.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to be there tonight, but I just wanted to say thank you to @goldenglobes for this incredible honor,” she wrote. “To my fellow nominees, it is a privilege to be named beside you, I admire you all deeply. Thank you to my Euphoria family, without you, none of this is possible. Lastly, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has allowed Rue into theirs. I think everyone knows how much she means to me, but the fact that she can mean something to someone else is a gift. I’m honestly at a loss for words as I type this, all I can say is thank you thank you thank you.”
See more photos of Zendaya and Mescal at the 2023 SAG Awards ahead.
