Zendaya, who unquestionably won the hearts of millions of people with her outstanding acting performances, is now eager to broaden her horizons and explore various facets of the entertainment industry. Back in 2021, the actress made an astounding revelation in an interview with British Vogue about her desire to work as a director.
The Oakland native, who is also a producer and style icon, is mainly acclaimed for her diverse acting abilities. But now, it seems she is willing to take on a new challenge: the art of filmmaking.
After successfully navigating a career on the Disney Channel, she seamlessly transitioned into more mature roles. She currently stars in the popular HBO series, Euphoria and has also appeared in starring roles in popular movies like Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Two years ago, she discussed the lessons she has learned from her already more than ten-year career in an interview with British Vogue.
In addition, she expressed a desire to advance her career by pursuing directing as her next step.
Zendaya Revealed Plans To Pursue Directing
Zendaya has accomplished a lot in her 26 years. She is prepared to take the director’s seat after spending ten years in front of the camera. The actress-singer stated in a cover story for British Vogue’s October issue (2021) that she intends to advance her career in the film industry by transitioning into directing.
She said she wants to promote diversity in Hollywood and called art “a huge catalyst for change.”
“If I ever do become a film-maker, I know that the leads of my films will always be black women.”
And she had that definitely on her list. She enjoyed asking questions about the storyboarding of shots while on set by observing the directors.
“I gotta hurry up and figure out how to f**king become a director, man. I’m trying, I’m learning every day, I really am. There’s so much I want to do.”
Sam Levinson, who directed the talented actress in Euphoria, was also sure that she would one day transition smoothly into directing. He predicted to Vogue, that Zendaya would make “an astonishing filmmaker” one day.
Zendaya Has Also Produced Several Projects
Despite not having yet tried her hand at directing, Zendaya has worked on a number of projects as a producer. This includes the Netflix film, Malcolm & Marie, two episodes of Euphoria, and several episodes of her Disney Channel series, K.C. Undercover.
The 26-year-old star discussed her desire to become a director in an interview with The New York Times, telling the publication that she would “love to be able to be a filmmaker”. She further stated that Sam Levinson was also guiding her through the process.
“Sam [Levinson] is always like, ‘I give you a year until you’re directing something’, and I’m like, ‘All right, well, that means you got a year to teach me’. So I don’t know what that looks like personally, but I really enjoyed being a producer.”
In a statement to the Times, the Shake It Up actress added her voice to the discussion of the value of on-screen representation, by stating:
“I enjoy this idea of hopefully one day being able to make the things that I want to see, the roles that I want to see for Black women. That would be exciting and a goal of mine.”
Meanwhile, Levinson also foresaw Zendaya’s potential for developing a love for directing. He anticipated the actress’ eventual transition into directing in a 2019 interview with Collider.
“I’m just looking at her and I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s gonna be a year or two before she’s directing.’ She’s so meticulous and so thoughtful about it. It’s inspiring, as a storyteller and as someone who’s able to push the show wherever it wants to go. It just really excites me.”
The last time we saw Zendaya was in Elvis Mitchell’s documentary film, Is That Black Enough for You?!?. It was released on Netflix on November 11, 2022.
Her upcoming films include Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two (3 November 2023) and Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers (15 September 2023).
Source –British Vogue
