Zendaya was born on September 1, 1996 in Oakland, California, the only child of Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, but has five older half-siblings on her father’s side. Her mother is of Scottish-German descent and her father is African American. Her name comes from the word Tendai, meaning “in thanks” in the Shona language.
Zendaya started her career when she was a child. From an early age she acted as an actress, dancer and model. She began to gain fame thanks to her appearances in Disney productions, including: in the series “Dance Rules” and “KC Teen Agent”.
The artist’s success came with her appearance in a series of films about Spider-Man: “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017), “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021), in which she played the title character’s love interest, Michelle “MJ” Jones.
Interestingly, a real feeling arose between the pair of film characters. Although Zendaya and Tom Holland did not want to confirm the rumors about their relationship for a long time, in July 2021, the couple was photographed kissing in a car. Since then, their relationship has blossomed and they can often be seen together on various occasions. This was not the first time that the movie Spider-Man got involved with his beloved from the set. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, heroes of the “Amazing Spider-Man” series, were also a couple outside the film set.
In 2019, the star began appearing in the youth series “Euphoria”, which was an adaptation of the Israeli series of the same title. In it, she played the role of a drug-addicted 17-year-old named Rue, who is the narrator of the series. Her portrayal was controversial but gained critical acclaim around the world. She won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She became the youngest winner of this award and the youngest to receive it twice. In addition, she was only the second black person to win an Emmy in this category after Viola Davis (the latter received it in 2014 for her role in the series “How to Get Away with Murder”). In 2023, Zendaya added a Golden Globe to her rich achievements of awards for “Euphoria”.
However, Zendaya triumphs not only on the screen. Fashion magazines, including “Vogue”, call her a fashion chameleon. And indeed, each of the styles presented by the actress is stunning, ensuring her the status of the best-dressed star. Just recall her fairy-tale, sparkly Cinderella dress that Zendaya wore at the Met Gala in 2019, the bottle green Vera Wang outfit that she wore to the Emmys the same year, becoming a modern interpretation of the alluring Jessica Rabbit, or finally the yellow, the airy Valentino outfit she wore at the 2021 Oscars. This last dress was accessorized with a necklace worth… six million dollars. There were many memorable styles, and each of them brought her closer to the title of Style Icon, which Zendaya received in November 2021 from the CFDA association. Of course, she was the youngest winner of this title in the history of the awards.
However, Zendaya did not remember that period very fondly. All because of the pandemic, which deprived the star of professional activity and made her reflect on her own workaholism. As the artist noted, during isolation she realized that playing is actually the only thing she derives joy from in life. “It was the first time I asked myself, ‘What else do I like to do? What makes me happy? Who am I without acting? What is my worth?'” When the film sets closed and I had to stop working, I felt that “I lost all my power. It’s actually a scary thought and a very difficult thing to process because I don’t know Zendaya who isn’t absorbed in acting. I didn’t realize before how much of my identity as a person acting is,” the star said. in an interview with GQ magazine.
During isolation, Zendaya turned to her friend and creator of the cult series “Euphoria”, Sam Levinson, for help. Unable to continue filming the next season of the series, the duo came up with the concept of a film that was later released on Netflix. We’re talking about the melodrama “Malcolm and Marie”, which was created in just two weeks. Zendaya starred in the main role alongside 36-year-old John David Washington. Some viewers were outraged by the fact that there was a twelve-year difference between the actors playing the lovers. However, Zendaya did not care about these comments, and to people who claimed that she was too young for her on-screen partner, she replied: “I am already an adult!”
However, Zendaya understood the allegations that appeared even before the film’s premiere. She was aware that it was not only about the large age difference between her and Washington, but also that viewers associated her mainly with the roles of high school students or even younger girls. “People often forget about this – which is understandable, because I’ve been playing 16-year-olds since I was 16 – but I’m an adult now. I always knew that there would come a time when I would grow up to finally play someone my own age. “- said the actress in an interview with People magazine. Washington spoke in a similar tone earlier. He admitted that he was not afraid of being 12 years older than Zendai, because the “Euphoria” star is already a woman. “People will see in this film what kind of woman Zendaya is. She has a lot more experience in the film industry than I do. I’ve only been in this profession for seven years. She’s a lot longer, so I’m learning from her. I’m a rookie. Very I relied on it,” he said in an interview with Variety.
At the end of 2021, “Dune” by Denis Villenueve, an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s legendary novel of the same title, was released on cinema screens. The film attracted attention with its excellent cast, which included, in addition to Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem. The axis of the plot of “Dune” was the eternal interplanetary conflict between two powerful families: Atreides and Harkonnens. The final fight between good and evil is to take place on the desert planet Arrakis, where the “spice” is mined, a highly addictive drug that allows one to see the future.
The production turned out to be a huge hit. It was awarded six Oscars (cinematography, music, special effects, editing, set design and sound), and grossed almost half a billion dollars in cinemas. Such a great success had to result in a sequel, which was released in Polish cinemas on February 29. Zendaya reprises the role of Chani, the main character’s beloved. This time the production shows the impressive journey of Paul Atreides, who forms an alliance with the Fremen. At the same time, he goes on the warpath, burning with the desire for revenge on the conspirators who led to the downfall of his family. Faced with a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul wants to prevent a tragic future that only he can predict.
Already in April we will see another production with the actress in the main role. The drama “Challengers” by Luca Guandagnino was initially announced as the opening film of last year’s Venice Film Festival. Worldwide distribution was scheduled for September. Everything changed after the actors’ strike broke out. The show in Venice was canceled and the premiere was postponed to April this year. In “Challengers” Zendaya plays Tashi Duncan, who as the golden child of tennis became an uncompromising coach on and off the court. Her husband (Mike Faist) is a champion who is going through a professional crisis. Tashi decides to restore him to his former glory, but they are both in for a surprise when the opponent turns out to be another expired champion, Patrick (Josh O’Connor) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As the past collides with the present and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself what will be the price of this victory? “Luca is really good at finding sensuality and desire,” the actress said in an interview with Empire magazine. – “There’s so much of it just in the looks. The tension is growing. Not releasing it is sometimes a good decision.”
In a recent conversation with Elle magazine, the star suggested that she would not like to limit herself to acting, but would also like to try her hand at the other side of the camera. “To direct a movie, even more than one, just do it,” Zendaya said, admitting that she knows the transition from acting to directing is not an easy feat. “The first step towards doing something on your own is not easy, I hope that I will somehow overcome my fear,” she added. The “Dune” star also suggested that he would like to change the nature of the roles he plays. “I dream of playing a villain,” she admitted. “I feel like I usually play positive characters. I would like to finally play the bad one,” Zendaya emphasized.