Here come the brides — and Zendaya!
The Emmy-winning actress and style icon has been busy promoting her new film The Drama the last few weeks, appearing alongside costar Robert Pattinson at sit-down interviews and modeling bridal-themed ensembles at domestic and international premieres. But in the age of experiential marketing, the immediate run-up to the A24 film’s theatrical run, which begins April 3, is just the last stage in the film’s meticulously thought-out release.
As documented in a new People feature full of smiles and prenuptial bliss, efforts to promote the twisted marriage rom-com in out-of-the box ways began earlier this year, when the team behind the film put out a casting call for engaged couples who would be interested in a wedding dress opportunity pegged to the film’s premiere. Alexandra Warren and KB White answered that call and were rewarded with a surprise visit from Zendaya and her longtime stylist, Law Roach, while dress shopping in New York at the beginning of February.
During the publicity op befitting the era of marketing successes like Barbie and Marty Supreme, the Euphoria star and the Project Runway host each dispensed style and relationship advice and posed for pictures with the queer brides-to-be. And in the end, it seems, everyone got what they wanted, with Warren securing the dress of her dreams, Zendaya deepening the admiration of at least two more fans by reportedly picking up the tab, and Roach basking in the good press.
“It felt so good that they were both so excited to help me with this milestone decision,” Warren – who met her fiancée, a fellow lawyer, at the nonprofit where they both work — told People of the stars’ brief but impactful visit to the Mark Ingram Atelier in Manhattan.
“I’ve always loved fashion and gowns and always thought I’d want to look beautiful for special moments in my life. To have such an important garment not only be signed off on by a stylist I’ve admired forever but paid for by an artist I admire felt like a dream come true,” she said. “I still can’t believe it! I want to wear it every day for the rest of my life.”
Following last week’s unearthing of a 2012 op-ed from the film’s director, Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario), about his relationship with a teenage girl, the team behind The Drama is surely eager to link the film with more palatable romantic associations — although, the title itself isn’t exactly what one would describe as a love story. Luckily, the production has Zendaya and Roach on the press frontlines to engender good will among potential moviegoers, lovers of love, and queer fans tracking the powerful duo’s joint appearances at everything from Warren and White’s bridal appointment to a Monday evening performance of Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway, on which Law is a producer.
