Just like Beyoncé, Madonna, or Cher, Zendaya goes by only her first name. At the 72nd Emmys, she became the youngest woman in history to win Best Actress in a Drama, at just 24. She beat out industry heavyweights like Laura Linney, Sandra Oh, and even Jennifer Aniston in her triumphant return to TV.
This Emmy win feels like an anointment, in the way Meryl Streep’s Oscar win for Kramer vs Kramer in 1980 or Jennifer Lawrence’s in 2013 did. Zendaya is on the precipice of becoming a household name, and the fan reaction to her win shows that audiences want to see it happen. The question is, what is next for Zendaya?
Her performance on Euphoria, which was critically acclaimed, was a gamechanger for the actress who came up on Disney Channel shows like Shake It Up and KC Undercover. Like so many before her, she dove headfirst into a show about sex, drugs, and violence which earned a lot of attention online announcing her arrival as a "serious" actress.
Just like the original Israeli series the show is based on, Euphoria is a gritty examination of the modern teenage experience touching on everything from sexting, virginity, and self-image. The role and the subject matter was a significant departure for Zendaya's Disneyfied image, but she is, in a sense, a new kind of celebrity; one that has been modeled by TMZ, the culture of celebrity gossip, and the advent of the internet. Growing up as Gen Z, or even as a millennial, is to have grown up watching the culture at large build people up only to tear them down. It means seeing Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan, whose lives became tabloid fodder, ruthlessly harassed. It means seeing stars like Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, or even Jennifer Aniston having their every decision analyzed and every move discussed. It is to have come of age knowing that the internet and the media are ready and waiting to 'cancel' you for a slip of the tongue, a misunderstanding, or a red carpet outfit. Is it to understand that America loves misery; it loves to watch the lives of famous people unravel as a way to escape from its own inequalities. As such, Zendaya has cultivated an image with all this in mind and but still, as an artist, she seems driven by risk. Euphoria paid off, but as she forges onward how will her latest risks play out?
Her next high profile project is in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune in which she plays Chani; a woman tasked with guiding Paul (Timothee Chalamet) across the planet Arrakis. The first trailer, filled with moody glances, an ominous Charlotte Rampling, a smoldering Oscar Isaac, and an appearance by a giant sandworm whipped Twitter into a frenzy. In some senses, Dune might well be a risk, especially considering the proposed Dune Part II is yet to be greenlit by Warner Bros. It's the kind of film that seems destined to be a huge hit or a colossal failure, with nothing in between.
Credit: @zendayaNot content with one risk, Zendaya is taking another this year too. When the COVID-19 pandemic brought movie and TV production to a halt, the second season of Euphoria was just about to start shooting. As it became clear that they would not be able to work on the show for some time, Zendaya and the show's creator Sam Levinson hatched a plan to shoot a movie during the quarantine. The result was Malcolm & Marie, recently bought by Netflix for $30 million, and its plot is being kept mostly under wraps. So far, only one black and white promotional image has been released showing Zendaya with her co-star, John David Washington, in a sexy embrace.
Amongst other projects, like The Finest Kind alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and A White Lie produced by Reese Witherspoon, Zendaya’s most anticipated project on the horizon is a third Spider-Man film. Her role as MJ, a reimagined version of the classic comic book character Mary Jane Watson, alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has been widely praised despite some controversy early on. In her most recent outing, Spider-Man: Far From Home, MJ figured out Peter’s secret and the two swung off into the sunset... until that post-credits scene.
The as-yet-untitled Spider-Man sequel (the name Home Run is still just a rumor) does have a release date in December 2021 though whether it can meet that during the Covid-19 pandemic is yet to be seen. Especially since Tom Holland is shooting the Uncharted adaption and Zendaya has season 2 of Euphoria to shoot when restrictions lift. Spider-Man is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated films on Zendaya’s slate. It's important to note that both Euphoria and Spider-man still cast Zendaya as a teenager, while Dune and Malcolm & Marie see her as a young adult. Currently at an age where she can play both age ranges, the question becomes how they'll impact each other. It's not fair to confuse an actor with the roles they play, but audiences aren't always fair, and may be vocal about not wanting to see MJ get freaky as Marie.
Given how smart she's been about her career choices thus far, it will be fascinating to see how these next few projects impact Zendaya's future decisions.
Euphoria is currently streaming on HBO Max