Zendaya may be one of the world’s most in demand celebrities, but that doesn’t mean she’s comfortable with fame. The Emmy Award-winning actress, whose starring role in the Disney Channel’s Shake it Up launched her into the industry, recently shared that while she loves her job, she’s “terrified” by stardom. During a Dune: Part Two talk moderated by journalist Erik Davis, Zendaya and co-stars Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler were posed with a question that likened the Messianic cult themes in the sci-fi film to the way people follow celebrities in today’s pop culture (via Deadline).
“I feel like, often, I am not cut out for that part of it. I do love my job, I’m so grateful. I love doing the work, I love being on set, I do love moments like this — don’t get me wrong — but I am terrified of that part of it, often.”
Zendaya, who also happens to be one of Hollywood’s most stylish stars, explained that her discomfort with that aspect of her career led her to use fashion as a protective shield:
“I was a shy kid, always have been, and so this part isn’t natural—that is a huge reason why fashion became important to me because it became like armor to pretend to go out and do the job. I would like to be a person and for people to see me as that first. I don’t necessarily know if I want or can handle all [the fan attention] or want [that]—some people that’s part of it, they enjoy the power that comes from it, and I don’t know if that’s for me.”
After gaining global recognition for starring alongside Bella Thorne in Shake It Up, and appearing in Disney Channel films like Frenemies and Zapped, Zendaya transitioned into adult roles in films, including Spider-Man: Homecoming and its sequels Far From Home and No Way Home, Malcolm & Marie, Dune, and this year’s Dune: Part Two and Challengers.
Zendaya is Set to Reprise Her Emmy-Winning Euphoria Role
Zendaya’s most famous TV role is likely Rue Bennett in HBO’s Euphoria. The actress began portraying the struggling teen in 2019. The role earned her two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress, with her first win in 2020, making her the youngest awardee ever in the category.
Zendaya is set to return for Euphoria‘s anticipated- and long awaited – third season. Earlier this year, after much speculation that the series would not return, HBO shared that the network and creator Sam Levinson “remain committed to making an exceptional third season,” and that production for its third season would officially move forward. The hit series is scheduled to return in 2025 and feature a time jump. Along with starring as Rue, Zendaya serves as an executive producer on the series. Besides returning to the Euphoria set, Zendaya is also reportedly in negotiations to star in Kristoffer Borgli’s latest A24 project (following the critically lauded Dream Scenario), The Drama.
Denis Villeneuve’s
Dune: Part Two
, starring Zendaya, Chalamet, Butler, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, and Dave Bautista is currently streaming on Max. Luca Guadagnino’s
Challengers
, led by Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, is streaming on Amazon Prime.