Malcolm & Marie: How Zendaya went from Disney kid to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars while fighting for equality
WITH roles in major Blockbusters, an Emmy award, music hits and now a lead role in a Netflix film, actress Zendaya Coleman is proving a force to be reckoned with.
The 24-year-old stars alongside John David Washington, 36, in black and white Netflix hit Malcolm & Marie.
It follows her character as she becomes embroiled in a long row with her on-screen director boyfriend – a moving performance that is a far cry from her Disney roots.
The film, which is one of the first Hollywood features to be written and produced entirely during the coronavirus pandemic, throws both stars’ acting abilities under the spotlight and has led to huge praise for each of them, despite the movie itself receiving mixed reviews.
But it follows years of hard work for Zendaya, who was so shy as a child that she had to repeat a year of school.
Born for the stage
She burst into the limelight at just 13 years old on the Disney channel, before securing spots on mega hits like Spiderman and The Greatest Showman – all while becoming a voice for change in the industry.
Painfully shy in school
While she’s now commanding attention around the globe, Zendaya was a very shy child.
She had to repeat kindergarten – the first year of education in the US – to catch up.
All that changed as she succeeded in her passion, entertaining. And with it, she also dropped her last name – to be “cool, like Cher or Prince”.
It eventually culminated in her landing two dream gigs – starring as a backup dancer behind Selena Gomez in a commercial for Sears, and in a Kidz Bop music video in 2009.
Zendaya continued to pursue a career in music through her teens – which included collaborations with friend Bella Thorne – and her big break came in 2010 when she landed a role as Rocky Blue on Disney sitcom Shake It Up.
Red carpet racism row
A major step away from her roots came in 2013, when Zendaya competed on the US version of Strictly, Dancing With The Stars.
At this point it seemed there was little she couldn’t do. With popular TV roles, dancing skills, modelling and Billboard-charting music to her name, the showbiz world was her oyster.
However, it became about much more than her work on screen in 2015 – around the time she was producing and starring on K.C. Undercover – when Zendaya attended the Oscars.
However, she added: “I didn’t know that they were going to be more diverse in their casting. I didn’t know that I was walking into a situation where they were already breaking the rules.”
Proving a hit in the film, Zendaya returned two years later in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Adding to her ever-growing list of credentials, Zendaya has also been named ambassador for Lancome and won an Emmy for her more recent role as drug addict Rue in HBO’s Euphoria.
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She told the of the job: “There's a lot of people who probably think I can't do it because they don't truly understand my personality. And I get it: I'm a Disney kid. There's a lot to prove.”
But prove she did. It seems the sky really is the limit for this talented star.