EXCLUSIVE: Zendaya Caught in School Shooting Outrage — And Why It's Left Her 'Reeling in Shock'
Zendaya's latest film, 'The Drama,' has landed the actress in hot water.
April 7 2026, Published 3:48 p.m. ET
Zendaya has been thrust into a growing backlash over her new film The Drama, with sources telling RadarOnline.com the fallout from its controversial school shooting twist has left the actor "reeling in shock."
The film, directed by Kristoffer Borgli, stars Zendaya, 29, and Robert Pattinson, 39, as a couple whose wedding unravels after her character admits she once planned a school shooting.
Zendaya Film Sparks Backlash Over Controversial Twist
Zendaya is said to be 'reeling in shock' over the intense backlash to her new film, 'The Drama.'
The revelation emerges during a dinner party game and has prompted a huge debate about taste and responsibility. It arrives amid heightened sensitivity around gun violence in the United States, where real school shooting tragedies continue to shape public discourse.
Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, has said he found the premise of the movie "awful." He fumed the framing risked trivializing devastating events and questioned how such material could be used in a movie promoted as a romantic comedy.
Zendaya addressed the project during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, saying: "What's difficult about even talking about the movie is there is so many different genres (in it.)
"It is a romantic comedy in many ways but it's also a drama. Everybody has their own kind of feelings leaving the theatre, especially with the big twist. There's so many conversations that are had after you watch it."
Sources Said Actress 'Reeling' From Reaction
The 29-year-old actress stars alongside Robert Pattinson in the controversial project.
Sources close to the production said: "Zendaya is reeling in shock at the intensity of the reaction to the movie's themes, and feels the conversation has spiraled beyond what the film actually depicts."
Another insider said: "The intent was never to glamorize violence but to provoke uncomfortable discussion about accountability and consequence."
Mauser also argued casting a widely admired performer "humanizes" perpetrators and "normalizes" the idea of gun massacres, even if no violence is shown. He also stressed the cultural impact of storytelling choices should not be underestimated.
'This Was Always Going to Cast Outrage'
Tom Mauser, a Columbine father, blasted the premise as 'awful' and 'trivializing.'
The film enters a long line of works confronting school shootings, including Elephant and Bowling for Columbine, both of which drew acclaim while interrogating real-world trauma. More recently, documentary projects such as All the Empty Rooms have focused on the aftermath of such tragedies for families and communities.
Critics have praised Borgli for producing a narrative that blends satire and discomfort. One movie source told us: "This was always going to spark outrage – that was part of engaging with the subject and what Zendaya initially found appealing. But no one expected the level of personal backlash now directed at her, and she's feeling the fallout."
As debate continues, the film's release is expected to test how audiences respond to fiction that collides so directly with lived experience, and whether its provocative premise can coexist with the sensitivities of those still grieving real loss.
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Zendaya described the movie as a blend of romantic comedy and intense drama on Kimmel.
Another industry observer said: "The backlash reflects a wider discomfort with how Hollywood handles trauma, and why stories like this can feel too close to reality for many viewers right now, especially in America, where these events remain painfully frequent and unresolved today.
"But there's also a feeling this has been taken out of context – the film isn't celebrating anything, it's interrogating it."
The source addd: "Zendaya understands why people are upset, but she believes audiences need to see the full picture before judging."
"The conversation itself shows why storytelling like this matters – even when it makes people deeply, deeply uncomfortable about confronting brutal realities."
