Zendaya’s career has been on the rise for years. Just last year she shone in the mesmerizing sports drama Challengers. Previously, she appeared in major blockbuster franchises such as Spider-Man and Dune, not to mention the acclaimed HBO series Euphoria, for which she received an Emmy Award.
However, Zendaya’s career began much earlier. Already at the age of 14 She posed for the series Shake It Up! – Dancing is Everything on Camera, which aired on Disney Channel from 2010 to 2013. Two years later, she took on the lead role in KC Undercover, which also ran on Disney Channel from 2015 to 2018.
Became famous as a child star in Hollywood: Looking back, Zendaya would have preferred to go to school
Zendaya grew up as a child star in Hollywood and moved very early into an adult world in which she was herself had to grow up very quickly. She didn’t have a real childhood or youth, as Zendaya revealed to the fashion magazine Vogue in May 2024.
At that time she said:
I don’t know to what extent I had a choice. I have complicated feelings when it comes to children and fame and being in the public eye and being a child actress. We have seen many cases where it didn’t end well … And I think it’s only now, as an adult, that I’m starting to say, ‘Oh, okay, wait a minute: I’ve only ever done what I knew, and that’s all I knew.’
She further said:
It’s almost like I’m just now going through my angsty teenage phase, because I didn’t really have the time to do it before. I felt like I was pushed into a very adult position: I became the breadwinner of my family very early on, and there was a lot of role reversal, and I just grew up.
Zendaya also explained to the interview that in her childhood and adolescence she always had the feeling “this perfect being” to have to be, that met all expectations. The resulting pressure has had a big impact on her and caused a kind of tunnel vision that now makes it difficult for her to simply enjoy things.
She described it as follows:
I’m always very tense, and I think that’s because I never really had the opportunity as a child just try something out. And I wish I had gone to school.What does Zendaya do after Challengers, Dune and Spider-Man? Two big new films have already been confirmed
Following her big Challengers year, Zendaya can next be seen in the romantic film The Drama alongside Robert Pattinson, which is expected to premiere in 2025. Additionally, she was recently cast in The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s new film, which will be released in summer 2026.
Apart from that, her past roles have not been forgotten. She will be back in both Spider-Man 4 and Dune 3. Filming for Euphoria Season 3 is also scheduled to start in January 2025. Zendaya won’t be saying goodbye to acting anytime soon – at least not in the next few years.