Credit: Pascal PicturesZendaya has been famous for at least half of her life at this point, but she still feels like she’s not “cut out” for being a celebrity.
At a recent screening event for Dune: Part Two in New York City, stars Zendaya (who plays Chani in the series), Timothée Chalamet (Paul Atreides), and Austin Butler (Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen), and director Denis Villeneuve answered audience questions regarding the hit film.
Apparently, one person in attendance had a query about the status of real-life celebrities to the film’s messianic figures, which prompted Zendaya to reveal that she didn’t feel particularly good at being famous.
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Zendaya said, “I feel like, often, I am not cut out for that part of [fame]. 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.”
The actress/singer first came to prominence as part of the ever-evolving stable of child stars on the Disney Channel, first appearing in Shake It Up in 2010 and then taking the lead in K.C. Undercover. Around the same time, she released several pop singles (including one with fellow Disney star Bella Thorne) and appeared in the Disney Channel movie.
Zendaya jumped to even greater fame when she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) as MJ, a role she would reprise in two further movies alongside her real-life romantic partner Tom Holland and is likely to continue playing.
She also appeared alongside fellow Marvel star Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman (2017). Most recently, she has starred as the lead of the ensemble cast of Euphoria, the critically acclaimed HBO drama series.
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All of this is to say that the 28-year-old Zendaya has been famous for about 14 years, but that’s still not enough to get used to it. The actress continued in her statement, “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.”
The issue of fame, particularly when it comes to current and former child stars like Zendaya, is an ongoing one in culture and clearly one Zendaya is thinking about. She finished her answer to the audience by saying:
“So I don’t know if I, either, can fully relate, but I definitely understand what you’re saying, and I think that’s what’s terrifying to me. 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 of that 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.”
What do you think of Zendaya’s statement about fame?