Zendaya’s Backstage Glam Photos From ‘The Odyssey’ Premiere Are Just as Stunning as the Red Carpet Shot

Red carpet arrivals get all the attention, but sometimes the real magic happens well before the flashbulbs start going off. That was certainly the case at the New York premiere of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey‘, where behind-the-scenes glam photos of Zendaya getting ready have taken on a life of their own online, arguably rivaling the finished carpet look itself.

The candid shots capture Zendaya mid-preparation, her hair still in loose natural curls and her makeup already polished to a soft, radiant finish well before she stepped into her final gown. Close-up images show off the exact glow and dimension that made her red carpet beauty look like one of the standout moments of the film’s entire international press tour.

The face behind that glow is celebrity makeup artist Ernesto Casillas, who has been responsible for Zendaya’s beauty looks throughout the ‘Odyssey’ promotional run. Casillas built the concept around the film’s mythological roots, explaining that his goal was to make Zendaya look like she stepped directly out of ancient Greece rather than off a modern red carpet.

“I wanted to give Zendaya a bronzed, sun-kissed and radiant complexion worthy of a glowing Greek goddess. For the eyes, I created light, mesmerizing eyes to echo the ethereal elegance of the dress,” Casillas said in a statement. That vision translated into a look built almost entirely around illuminated, dewy skin paired with soft, luminous eyes rather than anything overly dramatic or heavily contoured.

One detail in particular has taken on a life of its own since the images started circulating. Rather than the typical shimmery highlight most celebrities reach for on the inner corner of the eye, Casillas opted for a soft matte ivory shade instead, extending it from the inner corner toward the center of the lid. The effect brightened Zendaya’s eyes without adding shimmer, giving them an almost marble-like quality that beauty fans quickly zeroed in on across social media.

That inner corner technique has since become one of the most talked-about beauty details from the entire campaign, with commentators specifically praising the choice to use a matte finish rather than the shimmery, pearly highlight typically seen in similar looks. The unexpected texture choice has been credited with giving the overall look a fresher, more grounded elegance compared to more conventional red carpet glam.

Casillas relied almost entirely on Charlotte Tilbury products to build the finished look, layering skin prep products before moving into foundation, concealer, and a sun kissed bronzer to establish the base glow. For the eyes, he used a trio of Exagger Eyes eyeshadow sticks in soft neutral shades, finishing with volumizing mascara, while lips were kept glossy and rosy with a lip bath gloss over a subtle lip liner.

The look has resonated well beyond typical entertainment coverage, with beauty creators across platforms recreating the technique for their own audiences. Content creator Eni Popoola, known online as Eni Given Sunday, specifically adapted the glam for deeper skin tones, translating Casillas’s original concept while staying true to its core elements for melanin rich complexions.

Between the sculptural gowns and now the viral beauty details, Zendaya’s stretch of appearances promoting ‘The Odyssey’ has clearly resonated with fans well beyond typical red carpet coverage. With the film now just days from its theatrical release, these behind-the-scenes glimpses offer one more reason the entire press tour has become something people are still talking about.

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