Zendaya covers ‘Elle’, talks evolving into a more “grown-up” actress
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on August 24, 2023
Zendaya is ready to step into the next chapter of her career.
The Emmy winner opened up to Elle about entering a new risk-taking era of acting.
“From a character perspective, I want to find things that will push me,” she said. “As I get older, you know, I can’t play a teenager for the rest of my life.”
Her leading role in the upcoming film Challengers will see her in a new light.
Zendaya joked that audiences are “more ready” than she is to see her play a cutthroat femme fatale, but she finds the career move to be a necessary one.
“I felt like it was a good step into a more, I guess you could say, ‘grown-up’ role and into that next phase,” Zendaya said. “It was a little bit scary to take on, which I think is a good feeling. To be like, ‘Ooh, can I do this?’ You could run from that feeling and stay safe and comfortable, or you can go, ‘You know what, f*** it.'”
Despite those reservations, she knew taking on the gig was a rare opportunity.
“What was important to me was that [the character] was unapologetic,” Zendaya said. “Sometimes characters who are messy and conflicted and wield power over other people are reserved for [actors] who don’t look like me, so when I get an opportunity to play a character like that, I’ma take it!”
Elle‘s September 2023 issue featuring Zendaya hits newsstands nationwide on August 29.
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