John David Washington Addresses Criticism About Age Difference With 'Malcolm & Marie' Co-Star Zendaya

John David Washington is addressing some backlash.

The 36-year-old actor stars opposite 24-year-old Zendaya, who plays his girlfriend in the upcoming Sam Levinson relationship drama Malcolm & Marie, which resulted in some criticism upon the debut of the trailer.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Zendaya

John reacted to the criticism during an interview with Variety.

“I wasn’t concerned about it because she is a woman. People are going to see in this film how much of a woman she is. She has far more experience than I do in the industry. I’ve only been in it for seven years. She’s been in it longer, so I’m learning from her. I’m the rookie,” he said.

“I was leaning on her for a lot. Some of the stories she’s shared about what she’s had to go through with Twitter and everything. I appreciated her wisdom and discernment when it comes to this business. I admire that. What I’m really excited for people to see when the film is released – they’re going to see how mature she is in this role, We’re talking about versatility, and Sam and Zendaya brought both.”

The two co-stars could make Oscars history in more than one way with their performance.