Zendaya admitted that she has mixed feelings about growing up as a child star and being forced to become an adult as a result.
She recalled that she entered the world of show business at a young age in the Disney movie Shake It Up and shot to fame in 2017 with her role in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Her instant success allowed Zendaya to earn a large salary and before she knew it, she was supporting her family.
“I felt like I was thrust into a very adult position. I was becoming the breadwinner of the family pretty early on, and there was a lot of role reversal going on, and I really felt like I was growing up a little bit.” she said. british vogueon the May cover.
Zendaya attends the 71st Emmy Awards ceremony held at the Microsoft Theater on September 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Now that she is an adult, she is able to look back on her past and realize that her childhood was not very fulfilling.
“I don’t know how many options I had,” she said.
“I have mixed feelings about children, fame, being in the public eye, and being a child star,” Zendaya told British Vogue.
Referring to recent reports regarding allegations of sexual assault of children on Hollywood television and film sets, the famous actress admitted that she struggles with the concept of child stardom.
Zendaya attends the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2024 menswear show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 20, 2023 in Paris, France. Louis Vuitton photo: Victor Boyko/Getty Images
Zendaya attends the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.Photo by Fraser Harrison/Getty Images
“We’ve seen a lot of examples where it’s harmful,” she said.
“It’s only now, as an adult, that I think, ‘Oh, okay, wait a minute. I’ve only ever done what I know, and this is all I know.’ I think it’s starting.”
The “Euphoria” star said she felt the pressure increase as she grew up, adding, “I had to live up to all these expectations of being this perfect being and being everything that everyone expected of me.” I remember feeling like, “I can’t do that.”
She said career demands have delayed processing some of her childhood emotions at this stage in her life.
According to British Vogue, Zendaya is “mostly going through that angsty teenage phase” because she “never had time for that before”.
Her unconventional upbringing continues to influence her life.
Zendaya attended the world premiere of “Dune: Part 2” held at Leicester Square in London, England on February 15, 2024.Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images
“Right now, when I have moments like that in my career, like the first time I’m starring in a movie that actually plays in theaters, I feel like I’ve shrunk and I don’t understand everything that’s happening to me. “I can’t enjoy it,” she said.
“I’m really nervous. I’ve been really nervous since I was a kid, but I guess I’ve never really had a chance to try anything.”
Zendaya has a lot of celebrity friends in her circle, but she admitted, “I think there might be more.”
“I would like to see a lot more people around me who are a little more like me. I think that’s extremely important and necessary,” she said. (Related: Former child star Jack Salvatore says Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider used shotgun to threaten screenwriter)
As for things she wishes she had done in the past, the famous actress admitted there is one thing she feels she really missed out on.
“I should have gone to school,” she said.
