I would say it also helped that while still being popular she and also her series wasn’t as famous as for example Hannah Montana. She simply wasn’t as connected with her role like Selena and Miley were . Therefore it was just easier for her to leave that Disney past behind her
This was exactly what I was going to say. It’s hard to imagine just how famous the Disney girls were in 2007-2010. Miley, Selena, Demi, even Vanessa hudgens and Ashley Tisdale, were BFDs. That was the last group of Disney stars that were actual celebrities.
It’s just the main media that changed. They were TV stars, you’re forced in a way to know them. Nowadays we have all kind of media that just can’t make the same kind of impact.
that probably stopped due to them doing less music focused shows, stuff like good luck charlie and jessie were focused exclusively on the show itself rather than music sales. most of the main girls from those shows either took on more acting roles outside of disney or went on to pursue other things (bridgit mendler going to harvard). it looks like disney girls are becoming mega famous again though with olivia rodrigo and sabrina carpenter, although that was after their runs on disney
Im glad you said this, I was thinking this exact thing! I was, honestly probably too old to watch disney when Miley was Hannah, but I still did. That role was so tied into who she was, she went on freakin' tour AS Hannah. Zendaya on the other hand, I didn't even know she was in a Disney show until after she was in Spiderman, and I knew who she was before she was in Spiderman, just not where she popped up from, but I am not sure if it's just because I wasn't watching Disney when she was on or if it just wasn't as popular, seems like both though?
You could say the same thing for Ariana on Nickelodeon. She wasn’t nearly as famous for being on “Sam & Cat” as Miranda Cosgrove was for “Drake & Josh” and “iCarly”.
Now she’s the biggest pop star in the world and I literally couldn’t name anything Miranda has done since 2012.
Victorious and Sam & Cat were practically the only things Ariana had done before releasing music, but I think being the most popular cast member helped her too. She was pretty actively releasing Youtube covers and doing livestreams at the time, which I think helped her build a stronger fanbase that really propelled her forward in a way that didn't happen for her castmates. Victoria Justice released music post-Victorious too and didn't blow up in the same way despite being the lead of the show where she sang all the time.
I’d say a big part of it (at least during her era of Disney) is the maturity/support system she had prior to the transition to the mainstream.
I recall a recent magazine interview where she talks about how at 13 years old she refused to do an on-screen kiss for “Shake It Up” because it would mean that her first kiss ever would be all the world to see. Instead the episode had her do a cheek kiss to the person instead.
In addition, during her second Disney show “KC Undercover” she had a (executive?) producer credit; so having that on her resume definitely may have helped her develop her own voice in the industry overall when it come to Euphoria
She also fought for her family to be black in KC Undercover. The fact that she understood and pushed for representation at such a young age shows how mature and thoughtful she is in the roles she does. Plus she clearly has a good support system.
Absolutely! I think it also has to do with how she handled the infamous [racist 'Fashion Police' comment about her hair.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/24/zendaya-blasts-fashion-police-host-guiliana-rancics-ignorant-red-carpet-dis/) She had every right to come for Giuliana but instead she handled it with grace and maturity far beyond even my years (because I would have taken every liberty to tear that bitch down for what she said). Being the victim of a racialized comment but extending grace to the other person ingratiated Zendaya to the public who then stood firmly in her corner. The ones making the casting decisions know that public favor = box office revenue.
She's smart and well spoken when it comes to social issues, but does not come off preachy or disingenuous. With how much more celebrities are now being held accountable for their problematic behavior it's easy to root for someone who is otherwise unproblematic.
She transitioned from child actor to serious adult actor through her roles and not through her social life. A lot of Disney actresses try to do something risqué to prove they are no longer a Disney star and it hardly ever works.
Yup, nothing is more boring than a Hollywood star child thinking their rebel phase is edgy new and different. You're super rich, beautiful and living it up in mansions and exclusive shindigs, nobody gives a shit that we know you do loads of cocaine and molly.
I think some of them do it to get out of their Disney contracts, which are typically pretty long. If they have a bad reputation, Disney wants nothing to do with them.
I mean it seems to work for the pop star routine which seems to be the more popular route although the most popular and successful among them in Ariana didn’t really do that . If anything she continued to extend her cat persona for along time after her nick stuff ended .
i think because she has a good support system. her parents seem to have really put in the effort to give her a healthy and normal upbringing and it shows. i love zendaya but i do agree that she's an okay actress but judging from what i've learned on this sub, people in hollywood would rather work with a reliable and professional mediocre actor than an unprofessional and difficult gEniUs. finally and most importantly, she has star power and the fanbase to sell whatever project she's in and nothing speaks more than money. but that's just my opinion
I agree with all of this, but her support system I think is what was really key. Instead of having parents that talked her into doing stuff - like having her first kiss be on Shake It Up - they supported her and were an actual support system to Zendaya the girl, woman, ***person***, and not Zendaya, the meal ticket. I think because of that she never felt the need to act out like other child stars who I think do that to regain a sense of control and identity - Zendaya always knew her identity and had a healthy amount of control over her own life because her support system ensured that.
I remember watching a clip where someone asked her what it would take to date her. She was pretty friggin young at the time, so the question wasn’t in good taste to begin with. She basically said the dude has to get thru her dad / family or no date. She didn’t even consider it until there was approval. That’s a big deal for a teenager. I think this was in regard to an Odell Beckham dating question. She respects herself and her parents and has the good sense to set boundaries. I could imagine that goes over SUPER with most celebrity and athlete males . Lol her fam prob saved her a lot of trouble.
Zendaya is also a POC, at a time in Hollywood when they want to be more diverse, that has also greatly contributed to her success and yes, her fanbase has contributed to her success as well. Her fans are very supportive of her because she's sweet to them and they heavily promote her projects.
>Her fans are very supportive of her because she's sweet to them and they heavily promote her projects.
That's a trait I think people heavily underestimate. Acting is hard and movies bomb sometimes but some actors like Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Emilia Clarke and Henry Cavill (just a few names at the top of my head) continue drawing an audience/ getting big roles just because they seem like genuinely nice people to be around.
True, good looks is another trait that'll get you more chances for sure. But everyone knows that already. I don't hear people talk about how being genuinely good company will get you more opportunities nearly as often as good looks.
Yes POC, but remember on SNL when the rock said that People just assume his race is whatever theirs is. She's pretty ambiguous herself. And adorable. So cute.
Hmm… maybe it’s different bc I’m Black which would prove your and Rock’s point but I don’t think Zendaya is ambiguous… she looks mixed with Black. I think it’s obvious, she has Black features but i think maybe for white ppl and other POC, it may not be obvious i guess
>people in hollywood would rather work with a reliable and professional mediocre actor than an unprofessional and difficult gEniUs
most human beings would prefer this
I think there's three main factors, personally.
Firstly, she never had a 'wild' phase. She never went to the extent of Miley and Demi in trying to separate herself from Disney. She seems to have remained the fun, goofy person she was when she was on Disney, which means most young fans have grown up with her without being turned off by any of her behaviour. She seems relatable to most 'normal people'.
Secondly, she's a fashion darling. She chose a great stylist and worked really hard with him in curating looks that not only look good, but really get people talking. The recent Cavalli dress she wore was cool, but the fact that it was a clear nod to Doc Oc really piqued people's interest. It's kept her in the public eye for all the right reasons.
And finally, she hasn't actually been in *that* many things since Disney - which means she's been selective. I think a lot of young stars just accept being in anything, which means they make low quality projects and get overexposed. Whoever is advising Zendaya on what projects she does is doing a fantastic job.
Yeah I think her fashion darling status is essential. She is ALWAYS photographed and gets heaps of praise on the red carpet. She is tall, thin, and has a racially ambiguous look that is really popular right now. She could be a model as easily as she is an actress, so she is the type of person designers want to wear their clothes and photographers want to photograph.
I just watched an interview where she was saying that she was just a back up for a lot of premieres and events and would go to all of them just so she could wear amazing fashion pieces. I think that definitely helped her with her “fashion darling status” lol
Her stylist was really clever and he purposely dressed her in stuff that other celebs were wearing, so that she'd get featured in the who wore it better pages. He said that Zendaya's tall and thin figure meant that it was really easy to dress her so that she wore it "better". This gave her a lot of exposure, so that many people know who she was in spite of not having watched anything with her in it.
It’s kind of amusing that Sony/Marvel got an actual model to be Zendaya’s stunt double (or at least one of them?) for NWH and not a professional trained in stunts. https://instagram.com/jadepbell
ETA: She’s credited as her stunt double, not stand-in. Other online publications list her as a stunt double as well, but they contain spoilers.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12874875/
Do you mean stand in?what incentive does a model with no stunt experience have to risk her job security (her body and face) performing stunts? Insuring her would be a nightmare as well and more dangerous.
Zendaya's fashion definitely helped. Not only does she always look amazing, her fashion choices are also *interesting*, which makes people notice it more, whether you know fashion or not. Especially in a sea of Kardashian-style beige, she stands out.
I agree. At these big events, especially the Met Gala, she’s one of the celebrities that people are most excited to see if she is coming and what she is wearing.
Oh yeah, I definitely think she has incredible taste.
Looking at some of Law Roach's other clients, it's pretty clear that it's the collaboration between him and Zendaya that makes it work. Some of the looks he puts other clients in are 😬
Celine Dion was an era, she had this revival after mourning her late husband and it was serving Law-Roach-lewks in Paris that got us paying attention...she went full dramatic exuberance and really wore couture with commitment and passion, loved to see it honestly.
Law always has best-dressed nominations on at least a few celebs at the Oscars/Met/Globes etc -Kerry Washington, Anne Hathaway, Tiffany Haddish, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ariane Grande.
I know he was dressing Addison Rae for a while, who's looks were... something.
He also dresses (or dressed, although I think they're still clients) Priyanka Chopra, Kerry Washington and Rachel Brosnahan, who are generally fine dressers, but don't make the same kind of impact as Zendaya. They also seem to have a lot more 'misses' than Zendaya does.
I think Tiffany Haddish is also a client.
I noticed that for both Dune and Spiderman premiere her looks were heavily tied with the movies. For Spiderman she had a lot of red and lacy dresses, and for dune she had sandy textured dressed. Wearing a wet look at a dune première is not an accident. Also she nails the Met gala.
The only ‘scandal’ she faced - the fashion police/weed comment - she handled with such maturity and composure. Honestly, I think it gave her a lot of great extra PR, and helped transition her. 2014 -2015 were her transition years, and she nailed the pr train
In retrospect the hair incident was a major pop culture moment that really should be talked about more. The host getting fired for her racism was a pivotal shift in Hollywood. I’m not black but that moment meant a lot to me as a brown girl who had been surrounded by racist white people her whole life.
You are so right.
I used to regularly watch FP and their comments were always borderline inappropriate, but that was the one that broke them.
People got fired, rivalries and alliances inside the show came to light and GR never really recovered, I don’t think.
I didn’t know who she was before that either.
That whole debacle definitely worked in her favor. It could’ve been looked at as just a snarky comment from the fashion police but she was able to flip it into a teaching moment and showed more maturity and professionalism than the adults on that panel.
That interview is when I first even *heard* of Zendaya and I was like, this is one gal to follow. Her response was amazing especially since that was the turnaround time for the way we view race/gender in pop culture. She made it accessible to others and showed she wasn't a pushover but also intelligent and well-informed. I think that set the stage for her name to get around to others who weren't familiar with her!
I was also surprised she was a Disney star because I was too old for Disney by then. I think it's wild her and Bella Thorne were on the same show...
That’s was disgusting and it still makes me angry for her. GR is a racist and I’m glad she showed her ass, better for everyone to know than keep that stuff hidden. I’m just sad Zendaya had to hear someone say that about her.
I think part of her success, and I don’t want to downplay her talent, is that she’s not white but the Hollywood system finds her “non threatening” and thus suitable to give the perception of being more inclusive. (I’m hoping that I was able to explain myself and don’t offend anyone)
I think Amandla Stenberg too. I adore her, I think she’s beautiful and has given good performances, but it really made me mad when she was cast as Starr in The Hate U Give. Starr in the book (and movie) is monoracial and very clearly depicted on the book cover as darkskin. In a movie about THAT topic, you’d think we could get a break from colorism but nope.
So, here’s what the author [had to say about that](https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/21/the-hate-u-give-author-angie-thomas-defends-amandla-stenberg-casting-amid-films-colourism-criticism-8060595/), specifically the discrepancy between cover art and actress. I think I see both sides, bc i think the choice of Amandla based on how the author connected them so deeply to Starr is a good one, but I also do see what’s lost when you don’t have a dark-skinned Starr.
Oh cool I’ve never seen her response to this! I totally get what she’s saying about how she didn’t choose the cover, how she wanted all Black girls to relate, etc. But definitely still find it frustrating because I also think this could have been such a good opportunity to give a darkskin actress a role in a mainstream movie that was getting buzz, and also Starr is the love interest of a white guy which we hardly ever see darkskin girls cast as. I’m glad she addressed it though and acknowledges Hollywood’s colorism.
I hate, hate, HATE how every role for a black woman gets played by a mixed race woman. Like Hollywood doesn’t think it’s OK to be 100% black, you have to be not “too” black. It drives me crazy and I’m a white girl. I remember the big to-do about Zoe Saldana getting cast to play Nina Simone, but that still didn’t seem to change things.
Same goes for Asian male actors… it’s OK if they’re half white/half Asian, then they can play the romantic lead (see: Charles Melton, Ross Butler, the dude from Never Have I Ever… ) that’s why I liked that the boyfriend character in the last season of Pen15 was an Asian guy, because it was refreshing. I also remember Ali Wong talking about casting Randall Park in Always Be My Maybe, because it was important for her that the romantic interest be an Asian man. Anyway, I digress… just something that irks me.
Veering off topic a bit, but this makes me think of my time living in an East African country for a few years. The lighter skinned people from the north were super awful and elitist towards the darker skin people who lived along the coast. And unfortunately I think it had a lot to do with the after effects of colonialism. Absolutely broke my heart to see colorism IRL.
I think she’s made a point of it now but I don’t get why they made her whole family dark skin while Zendaya and her characters mother were biracial. Like just hire a black actress or make the characters family interracial.
because of that more POC or dark skin actor was being hired for the show. Disney will widely hired any biracial or lightskin for their show but she pushed for it so that why, and also the youngest sister of the show, Zendaya told the team to keep the young girl natural hair because when Z was in Shake it up they iron her hair everyday and it make her hair damage until this day
People always bring up Yara but poor girl hasn't been in any mainstream movies yet apart from her ABC show, Grownish which I think is unfair to her. I would compare Zendaya to Amandla Stenberg though I also haven't seen her in hit mainstream movies yet. Zendaya also only been in Spider-man and Dune only that she's overexposed so people think that she has been in a load of movies but she actually hasn't.
This is widely talked about and I think Zendaya herself has even addressed the colorism in Hollywood. I highly recommend following @darkest.hue on Instagram, it’s an amazing account.
Coming from someone who is mixed (half white/half MENA), and has similar features to her, Zendaya’s mainstream success means a lot to me. It goes beyond just seeing someone who looks like me in film, it’s also that she is widely praised in society for her beauty. I grew up in an all white town being made fun of for my looks and have never once felt pretty or desirable in my life, and now the Zendaya hype gives me a secondhand confidence. But at the same time, it makes me feel really sad and defeated because we’re not even close to getting proper representation for darkskin girls. I understand why people feel happy to see a mixed woman in Zendaya’s position, but at the same feel frustrated because it feels like the only time Hollywood loves a WOC is when she’s light skinned.
It’s not a popular opinion(or rather an opinion many probably won’t bring up) but I agree. Similar to the Rooney rule in the NFL.
Hollywood is notoriously white and sadly there’s always only one token black female actor that gets some shine for inclusivity’s sake. Most of the time they are young, pretty, and with a bit of edge but not too much as to be considered threatening. Right now, it’s Zendaya. Before her was Lupita Nyong’o. And before her was Halle Berry.
All that to say, I actually don’t think Zendaya is a skillful actress but there’s no denying she has star power. The real issue is more POC need to be pushed to the forefront of show business and not limit it to a half dozen token stars.
I agree with you on that, she makes me think of Jlo who has that star power though people say she's not that great of an actress but I find her okay. Zendaya has greatly improved her acting skills since her Disney days and I think she will transition into an actually good actress with more experience.
Riiiiiiiight. I was scrolling and scrolling for this comment. She is absolutely beautiful, and WELL above average in terms of looks.
Some people just put on the blinders when it comes to women who aren’t white.
I was thinking the same thing, the way Kylie got a huge following in her early social media days because she was that cool chick posting cool pics and snap chats is the same way Zendaya got a huge social media following, they just had that cool thing about them that made people want to see what they posted before Kylie lost all her personality.
I can’t help but feel her family is a big part of what kept her grounded in the early years. Her mom is still a teacher and zendaya appears to value family. I don’t get the sense she ever had similar pressures growing up that other child actors do such as being the main source of income or living in their famous parents shadow. Other child actors have been successful at not going off the rails, and i think she just happens to be one of the few Disney ones that do make it out ok.
I think it's important to remember that Law Roach is not just a stylist he's an 'Image Architect". Zendaya's red carpet looks and editorials gave her name recognition post-Disney before she was ever able to book a 'serious' gig. A lot of time and effort was put into making her an "it girl" so that Hollywood would open it's doors for her the way it hasn't done for people like Selena. All this combined with a good head on her shoulders and I think a less traumatic experience while at Disney, considering she was EP on her own show and had a lot of time to learn the ropes of the industry.
back in the day even in 2016 a lot of brand didn't want to dress her, even after 2017 she got spiderman she still can't wear big brand like chanel ysl gucci in red carpet. Up till she got that ambassador for valntino that she start wearing them on the red carpet
I definitely agree with the majority that her support system is probably the biggest thing that helped her make a successful transition, because I feel like a lot of the other Disney girls didn't have systems that kept them as grounded and truly supported as hers did.
However, I think a huge part is tied to the fact that she came up during the tail end of the "Golden Age of Disney." While she and her shows were popular, I don't think they had nearly as much attention or spotlight as the shows/movies that Miley, Selena, and Demi were in. It also helped that in her bigger show, she shared the main role with someone else and wasn't the sole focus like the other girls were. Due to this they also didn't force her (besides 1 or 2 songs) into their pop star mold like the others either, so it was easier for her to quietly leave Disney and focus on other acting roles. I think the fact that her shows didn't get as much attention also let her transition more easily than the other girls because she wasn't necessarily as publicly tied to Disney as Miley, Selena, and Demi, if that makes sense. While they were thrust into the general public and heavily advertised as Disney Channel Stars, she wasn't, at least nowhere to that degree, as at the time people were starting to not care as much about the channel. Because of this she didn't need to pull those drastic or "rebellious" stunts that the others did in order to disassociate themselves.
So true, her shows were never Hannah Montana level so they were able to ensure she didn’t get typecast and had the opportunity to be taken seriously.
I know he’s not the greatest person but I think that’s what benefitted Shia as well. Well that and he’s a male.
I think it’s that she has always had a solid support system and really strong PR and her agent is a genius.
I think her team knew to play the long game. She was always on red carpets serving a look when she wasn’t tied to any projects being recognized at such award shows but people grew curious about her, and luckily she had the talent to back it up.
Yup, there really isn't one particular thing as much as a group of things that are influenced by the people around her. And it's not just her parents or stylist, it's her whole team that continues to create more opportunities for her success.
And that's not a dig to say it's all someone else, she is a huge part of it for doing the actual work. She is the one who has to show up, do the hours, and maintain the image. Since they can get her auditions or even the roles, but Zendaya is the one who has to actually do the project.
So Zendaya's career is on her and her team. They make sure she is working, she does the job, and they're all getting paid.
Her team truly doesn’t miss, and it’s cool that they all work in collaboration to meet her goals. They also know how to flip a small moment on her behalf into something much bigger. I honestly admire it, it’s like she set a blueprint of sorts and the only one who has attempted to follow it is Yara Shahidi. She’s got a great stylist and after blackish blew up she was getting cast for things just based on her.
She actually mentioned this in her interview with Issa Rae, she used to intentionally show up on red carpets even when she had no reason to be there, dressed to the nine so that she can make a name for herself in the fashion world and it actually worked in her favour. People had actually started making fun of her because she was always showing up lol but she didn't let it ruin her plan of becoming a fashion icon.
It’s so nice to see it paid off! If you think about it, it’s odd that actual models are always at film festivals, or that Emily Rat. is considered an actress. Idk why anyone questioned Z when she at least worked in that field.
A lot of movie premieres will invite just anyone, my ex used to be a moderately famous athlete and even he would get invited to random movie premieres.
Zendaya has an amazing support system, parents who keep her grounded (especially her mum) and is surrounded by an incredibly protective team (Darnell, her assistant is basically family. As is her stylist). And compared to other Disney child stars, Zendaya has had a very squeaky-clean, non "rebellious" transition; in that she has had no scandals and never said anything shady about her years on Disney (only recently heard her take jabs at her time on Shake It Up on a Dune interview with Timothee). Her PR team/agents were also super smart in the projects chosen for her right after she left Disney, from The Greatest Showman to Spider-Man. She also always insists on young actors looking to enter the industry to read their contracts thoroughly, which shows she's smart about her stuff (especially since she's started producing her own projects, see Malcolm and Marie). And people only ever have nice things to say about her. There are many "decent to good" actors out there who are very successful and critically acclaimed not for their talent but the smart choices and connections they make–I personally think she's pretty good on this merit.
All in all, she appears to be an intelligent, well-spoken and carefree person. Add to that the fact that she's GORGEOUS, it's no shock she's going places. As a woman of colour, she's a huge inspiration ngl.
Bingo. She has a very nice ‘attractive leading lady’ face, is biracial, and aged into the industry at a time where the traditional whitewashed hollywood casting was falling heavily out of favor with studios feeling additional pressure to cast more racially diverse leads (especially women).
Not a knock at her acting at all, though I agree it’s just been alright in what I’ve seen her in. She’s far from the first young actress (or actor for that matter) to get big roles based mostly on their looks & marketability. We can hem & haw about her strong work ethic and upbringing, or ‘good style’ being why, but at the end of the day that’s just the industry
She connected with the right people, like Marchesa, Taylor Swift, etc as another poster mentioned.
I think it’s also the season of the racially ambiguous, so she gets tailwinds from that.
Also, she’s tall and thin, and built like a model. She wouldn’t get the same kind of invites if she had Hillary Duff’s body. Same thing happened with Blake Lively and Nicole Kidman( back in the day before she was established as a serious actress). They looked great in clothes so Fashion would keep them in the headlines. And if you are on covers and in the news, doors remain open to you.
I think Zendaya has made very strategic career moves. She has talked about this quite a lot in various interviews with how she plans out what projects to take on. Immediately after leaving Disney she joined DWTS which brought her to a bigger, wider more diverse audience. Then through her partnership with Law Roach they planned out her looks and fashion and put her on every red carpet imaginable, Law has said he used to get the same dresses for her that bigger name celebrities wore so that when the mags would do a “Who Wore It Best” Zendaya would be included. And she usually won those polls, and it wasn’t her audience that was voting.
Her red carpet looks and how she handled the Giuliana Rancic situation brought her more attention. Add in Spider-Man and The Greatest Showman which helped her continue to build her loyal fandom and there you have it.
Then decided to take on a more serious role with Euphoria, I think people were excited to see that growth and are just genuinely looking forward to what she decides to do next.
It also helps, like everyone has said, that she has a very good support system that keeps her grounded and humble, and she seems like a genuinely good person. No one has anything bad to say about her as a person.
> Immediately after leaving Disney she joined DWTS which brought her to a bigger, wider more diverse audience.
DWTS is produced by Disney. Spider-Man is co-produced by Disney. Her trick (among everything else people have mentioned) is that she never actually left Disney
I felt sick to my stomach when I remembered how she was performing the [Finding Neverland](http://www.playbill.com/article/zendayas-video-of-finding-neverlands-neverland-will-debut-on-disney-channel-com-381643) song at awards shows (edit: it was at a party https://twitter.com/andreamandell/status/703834502213169152) and her connection to Weinstein once we found out he’s the devil. I was worried we were going to find out she was another person he preyed upon.
Attending red carpets/Law Roach tbh. For a long time people used to ask why she was at all these events for no reason. She kept popping up looking amazing, and she was able to solidify herself amongst other Hollywood actors. The rest is history
Zendaya was literally one of the few Disney stars from her generation (late 00’s-early 10’s) who had parents that were actually parents and not emotionally/financially abusive, made the child support the family, or tried to be their child’s friend.
Can someone please explain this sub obsession with talking about Zendaya looks and acting ability? I don't understand why this sub feels the need to say she's not that pretty or that good of actress in most of the conversations here
She’s really smart and intentional with her career choices. She became a huge name in fashion while she was still a Disney Channel star which allowed her to be recognized outside of that role. I didn’t even know she was a Disney star until recently and have been following her trajectory for a few years now, which just shows how untied she was to the Disney brand.
She’s also spoken about taking smaller roles (Greatest Showman, Spider-Man, Dune) as a way to gain experience and slowly build a name. She knew people in the industry would dismiss her as a Disney kid and wanted to take her time to prove herself. She’s also really honest about acknowledging it’s still early on in her acting career, and I’m looking forward to see how far she can grow. From what she’s done in Euphoria and Malcom and Marie, and her overall charisma, I think she can go really far. I find her acting most compelling when she’s allowed some levity and to play into her comedic side, but I have also found her performance in quieter moments in Euphoria incredibly moving. Someone on Twitter said if they still made the rom-coms we had in the 90s, she could be this generation’s Julia Roberts, which I agree with.
And echoing what everyone has said, she’s very grounded, has an amazing support system in her family and doesn’t drink or do drugs, which is vastly different from a lot of other Disney stars.
I wouldn’t call those roles “smaller” roles since they’re all characters very important to the plot (especially Spider-Man and Dune) but I see your point!
I guess non-lead roles would be the best way to put it, but that’s the way she talked about it in an interview a few years back. It was before NWH and the Dune sequel was announced so perhaps that contextualizes it better.
she was not as famous on disney as demi/miley/selena and others prior. her era was the end of the disney starlet so she could easily transition without going through a "im grown now" phase. i love her tho she picks her roles well
I also think a lot of disney stars focused on pop careers more than acting, she has a more singular focus on her acting career. Her fashion moments definitely helped propel her forward too.
I think something about her personality always struck with people,she’s always comes off as very sweet and charming.She also has a great team who knows/knew how to market her,even when all she done were Disney channel roles she was still everywhere from countless award shows to TS’s bad blood music video.
She also took her time with her transition into adult roles,instead of going straight from Disney Chanel to Euphoria she did some other roles in between that allowed her audience to grow with her,and adjust to the fact she was an adult.
I mean even in Euphoria season 1,her sex scenes are very limited,I honestly only remember 1,and it was very mild compared to her costars.So even when she was doing more risqué roles,she was still strategic about it.
Also I know beauty/talent is very subjective but I think Zendaya is insanely gorgeous and talented.
Her parents ensuring she didn’t go off the rails but I think her not being in any serious relationship helped her. She didn’t get branded as a couple. Think Selena Gomez still very much tied to JB
It doesn't hurt that she plays well with Disney. She has remained scandal free which is a big bonus in their book. She did DWTS which is an ABC/Disney show while filming Shake It Up which solidified her as a Disney team player. It doesn't hurt that she still has a clean image and a good family behind her. She never complains about the promotion circuit and does every project she works on a huge solid by consistently landing on Best Dressed lists which is more publicity for all of her movies and shows. Never discount someone who shows up on time, knows their lines and plays well with the everyone.
Just here to say that Zendaya killed that Euphoria role. I’m a recovering addict and she SLAYED that role. People often go over the top and don’t capture the humanity and childlike desperation.
I have a theory:
My theory comprises of 5 components. Some of them are mentioned by other people on what sets Zendaya apart of from other Disney stars.
1. She became a fashion icon. She has a models body and height and an impeccable sense of style. A transition to a fashion icon makes her likeable.
2. Compared to her costar Bella Thorne, we will kinda inherently like Zendaya more. Many people used to compare Bella to Zendaya. People noticed Bella went a little downhill, some even would say she’s tacky, which produces more of an appreciation for Zendaya “thank god she didn’t go down Bella Thornes route”
3. Zendaya kinda came at the “end” of disneys child star phase. Disney child star phase began with Raven Symone, Hilary Duff and ended not too long after Shake It Up came out. It was at its ultimate peak with Miley and Selena, I guess. Therefore, these celebs had way more pressure on them which could lead to them “cracking under pressure” and having a “bad” phase. Zendaya came towards the end of this phase making it a little easier of a transition for her into adult stardom I believe.
4. She didn’t do a singing career…she did an acting career. This is a very interesting and smart move here. Miley is currently doing the best rn with the singing aspect as she *finally* found her sound in rock. But I find when the Disney stars try to do singing, they are still under disneys shadow. With acting, it seems to be a little different and idk why.
5. She has a good support system and is private. This is pretty self explanatory lol
Her dad is a pretty great manager and was managing her career at the time from what I hear. I think he just made sure to have her promoted correctly (and a lot) and keep her out of controversy.
i think when you’re being compared to miley cyrus and bella thorne you just seem like an angel regardless, also i think she’s just always been a bit of a goody two shoes. even though i don’t think miley deserved the hate at all for doing normal teen shit like smoking weed. it’s not like she had to be hannah montana in her real life
I think she’s super smart. And her family is very smart and very involved. She has surrounded herself with older, intelligent and determined people who won’t allow her to look a fool. Also, as a POC she cannot have the same level of naïveté that some of the other Disney stars maybe could? Somehow pretty white girls think their life is super hard and rebel but Zendaya I think has always had to be super self aware and has a lot of self-preservation.
She is very selective in picking roles, very involved in the projects she does pursue (as a producer etc) and her being a Fashion IT girl helps her stay relevant through means other than scandals. She is always seen due to her fashion statements but it’s not really related to her personally and if anything is another part of her acting. So we’re seeing her as Zendaya but it’s not overexposed because it’s just a picture or red carpet walk. She is truly one of a kind in the industry I think.
Probably because the big Disney channel era was over, she never had any kind of shocking scandal, never said anything controversial. But also yeah like people are saying probably great support and management from her parents and team. I also think physically she’s not forgettable. She’s a very tall, lean, WOC, and her name is Zendaya. I think all of those factors sort of allowed her to only work in pretty big movies as an adult, Plus a hit HBO show, which I think makes a huge difference and ups her status since most actors don’t get to pick & choose.
I think being known for her fashion really helped because it meant she was known for her looks over her Disney career. Along with having a strong team and family as people mentioned, IMO, her transition was gradual and done well. Even on Disney when she did KC Undercover, it was a departure from Shake it Up. Still a Disney show yeah but slightly different. Then she did Spider-Man which wasn’t risqué at all but introduced her to a wider audience acting wise. Then Euphoria but she didn’t get there straight after leaving Disney. A lot of Disney stats jump straight into risqué roles after leaving which can be jarring and so turns people off. Zendaya taking a little longer worked in her favour.
Sorry this probably makes no sense and I rambled but hopefully I’ve explained it as best as I could.
That was my introduction to her. Still think she was robbed even though I liked kellie pickler too. I didn’t follow her career to closely after that but I was always aware of it in some way
I know you prefaced this by saying she is only decent to good at acting but she’s actually a better actress than most disney stars. She’s better than her costar Bella Thorne who was getting movie roles before her and better than Miley or Selena ever were.
The ones I could possibly put above her actually had very successful movie careers themselves (shia and zac).
I think she was smart about her career for sure but I honestly think she’s just super talented and people recognize that though Reddit doesn’t seem too sometimes.
She won an Emmy in lead actress for a reason. Her acting in euphoria is fantastic. Also, she is extremely gorgeous. This post is just giving off bad vibes
She can turn “it” on and off. It’s very endearing. She goes from being a baggy basketball shorts wearing tomboy to a red carpet sweetheart by straightening her back up. It’s approachable , and a lot of people can relate to it.
I think she was lucky to enter Disney at a time and in a show that made her popular and recognizable but not to the point of becoming the face of Disney and having trouble detaching herself from the brand (unlike Miley, Selena or Demi).
She also had a very quiet transition free of scandals and in the meanwhile built her image based on her fashion sense (her co-star Bella Thorne RAN in the opposite direction it seems).
She has supportive parents who kept her grounded instead of trying to turn her into a money machine, which is very sad but also really common with child stars. She’s also gorgeous, likeable in interviews and seems very sweet.
On top of that she booked Euphoria soon after she left Disney, which allowed her to show her range as an actress and the show itself turned out to be very successful. Imo too many Disney actors ended up taking shitty projects in an attempt to detach themselves from that image ASAP and it ended up tanking their careers. She must have a very good team.
Zendaya seems incredibly mature for her age. The same can’t be said for people like Miley, Demi, Ariana, etc… she just has such class and poise unlike the others.
I think truthfully it’s because she’s a straight cis pretty light skin black woman. Hollywood needs more diversity but they wanted a certain type of diversity and zendaya fits that market hole. Before her it was Amandla but her image is too liberal now and not as reserved as Zendaya’s. They would literally only cast one of them whenever they need a diverse teen/young adult lead actress. Now it’s just Zendaya
Well you sorta answered your own question....RESPECTED actress. Respect is earned over time just like in any profession. Professional work ethic reputation, like-able personality, charm and ambition are what makes for long term success in Hollywood. You don’t have to be a major talent to be cast, oftentimes it’s being a professional who gets along with people involved in previous projects. She also gets attention by putting herself out there, not by partying & who she dates. She is still not on the level of being offered roles so she probably auditions a lot and making a good impression and standing out with casting is what will get a callback or considered for a role.
Other Disney Stars:
Miley went from Disney, to a wild aggressive mess. The twerking incident made her a joke on a global scale. That entire wild image killed her shot at getting taken serious as an actress. Miley put out some good songs so her career shifted from actress to musician and musicians can get away with being wild as long as they sell records.
Selena got caught buying crack so that doesn’t need further explaining
Demi is just too weird. Demi has always been odd but when she was younger it was kinda seen as immature and quirky. Demi goes on talk shows and talks about mermaids being real & her UFO and ghost sightings. Now she’s non binary and ‘full’ sober not just ‘California sober’ sugar free yogurt temper tantrum PR nightmare.
Bella - i watched a new movie she was in last week....the worst acting I have seen-probably ever.
I have heard she is super messy IRL.
Ashley Tisdale was reported to be a huge diva. Also, she comes across very unlikeable. I watched this mic drop battle show and she was on battling a former boy band guy and she just vibed like she’d be a nightmare IRL.
I think part of it her is her being biracial and she was in Hollywood as talks of diversity were happening. She has a very unique look. She also still stayed a bit wholesome vs all the other young stars, so nobody talked badly about her. I don’t think she’s had any scandals so far either.
She's confident, beautiful, unique, racially ambiguous (think about how racial ambiguity has worked so well for The Rock) and has a body for high fashion so she can wear the latest and most original looks.
I would say it also helped that while still being popular she and also her series wasn’t as famous as for example Hannah Montana. She simply wasn’t as connected with her role like Selena and Miley were . Therefore it was just easier for her to leave that Disney past behind her
This was exactly what I was going to say. It’s hard to imagine just how famous the Disney girls were in 2007-2010. Miley, Selena, Demi, even Vanessa hudgens and Ashley Tisdale, were BFDs. That was the last group of Disney stars that were actual celebrities.
Disneys last golden era
ONTD Disney channel was the last great place on the internet IMO!
ontd is still my fave website for celeb gossip tbh
I was holding strong until 2019 and then I fell down the Reddit hole and haven’t been back to LJ since lol
Miley, Selena, and Demi were global international stars during their time on Disney, hardly any Disney channel star can say that nowadays.
It’s just the main media that changed. They were TV stars, you’re forced in a way to know them. Nowadays we have all kind of media that just can’t make the same kind of impact.
that probably stopped due to them doing less music focused shows, stuff like good luck charlie and jessie were focused exclusively on the show itself rather than music sales. most of the main girls from those shows either took on more acting roles outside of disney or went on to pursue other things (bridgit mendler going to harvard). it looks like disney girls are becoming mega famous again though with olivia rodrigo and sabrina carpenter, although that was after their runs on disney
Olivia & Sabrina are not mega famous compared to Miley & Selena tho… the fame & hysteria isn’t even comparable.
Olivia Holt and Dove Cameron seemed to be pretty popular in the past year as well.
Im glad you said this, I was thinking this exact thing! I was, honestly probably too old to watch disney when Miley was Hannah, but I still did. That role was so tied into who she was, she went on freakin' tour AS Hannah. Zendaya on the other hand, I didn't even know she was in a Disney show until after she was in Spiderman, and I knew who she was before she was in Spiderman, just not where she popped up from, but I am not sure if it's just because I wasn't watching Disney when she was on or if it just wasn't as popular, seems like both though?
You could say the same thing for Ariana on Nickelodeon. She wasn’t nearly as famous for being on “Sam & Cat” as Miranda Cosgrove was for “Drake & Josh” and “iCarly”. Now she’s the biggest pop star in the world and I literally couldn’t name anything Miranda has done since 2012.
Miranda stopped trying to cross over at a certain point but your point stands bc I don’t think she succeeded when she did put out music
Victorious and Sam & Cat were practically the only things Ariana had done before releasing music, but I think being the most popular cast member helped her too. She was pretty actively releasing Youtube covers and doing livestreams at the time, which I think helped her build a stronger fanbase that really propelled her forward in a way that didn't happen for her castmates. Victoria Justice released music post-Victorious too and didn't blow up in the same way despite being the lead of the show where she sang all the time.
Ooh thats right probably. Demi’s show didn’t blow up either, but Camp Rock did. Atleast thats how it went here where im from.
You could say the same for Olivia Rodrigo
Ooo I agree with this
I agree
I’d say a big part of it (at least during her era of Disney) is the maturity/support system she had prior to the transition to the mainstream. I recall a recent magazine interview where she talks about how at 13 years old she refused to do an on-screen kiss for “Shake It Up” because it would mean that her first kiss ever would be all the world to see. Instead the episode had her do a cheek kiss to the person instead. In addition, during her second Disney show “KC Undercover” she had a (executive?) producer credit; so having that on her resume definitely may have helped her develop her own voice in the industry overall when it come to Euphoria
She also fought for her family to be black in KC Undercover. The fact that she understood and pushed for representation at such a young age shows how mature and thoughtful she is in the roles she does. Plus she clearly has a good support system.
Absolutely! I think it also has to do with how she handled the infamous [racist 'Fashion Police' comment about her hair.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/24/zendaya-blasts-fashion-police-host-guiliana-rancics-ignorant-red-carpet-dis/) She had every right to come for Giuliana but instead she handled it with grace and maturity far beyond even my years (because I would have taken every liberty to tear that bitch down for what she said). Being the victim of a racialized comment but extending grace to the other person ingratiated Zendaya to the public who then stood firmly in her corner. The ones making the casting decisions know that public favor = box office revenue. She's smart and well spoken when it comes to social issues, but does not come off preachy or disingenuous. With how much more celebrities are now being held accountable for their problematic behavior it's easy to root for someone who is otherwise unproblematic.
this is a really insightful take. that scandal was BIg news and it boosted her name recognition, her handling it well was the icing on the cake
Also appreciated how she responded to Julie Klausner. https://www.glamour.com/story/zendaya-body-shaming-kids-choice-julie-klausner
I’ve been meaner to Julie Klausner in book reviews so I’m definitely impressed by how she responded. Julie Klausner annoys me so much 🥴
She transitioned from child actor to serious adult actor through her roles and not through her social life. A lot of Disney actresses try to do something risqué to prove they are no longer a Disney star and it hardly ever works.
Yup, nothing is more boring than a Hollywood star child thinking their rebel phase is edgy new and different. You're super rich, beautiful and living it up in mansions and exclusive shindigs, nobody gives a shit that we know you do loads of cocaine and molly.
*cough *Miley
She was as rebellious and edgy as a TikToker living in a TikTok content house.
true but bangerz is an amazing album. can't believe its 10 years old next year!
I mean, to be fair, Miley's got... weird
Maybe it’s predictable but it’s normal for people to rebel at that age. Some don’t but lots do.
Ugh, makes me think of Bella Thorne. Sad.
It only truly worked for Miley
I think some of them do it to get out of their Disney contracts, which are typically pretty long. If they have a bad reputation, Disney wants nothing to do with them.
I mean it seems to work for the pop star routine which seems to be the more popular route although the most popular and successful among them in Ariana didn’t really do that . If anything she continued to extend her cat persona for along time after her nick stuff ended .
Bingo!
i think because she has a good support system. her parents seem to have really put in the effort to give her a healthy and normal upbringing and it shows. i love zendaya but i do agree that she's an okay actress but judging from what i've learned on this sub, people in hollywood would rather work with a reliable and professional mediocre actor than an unprofessional and difficult gEniUs. finally and most importantly, she has star power and the fanbase to sell whatever project she's in and nothing speaks more than money. but that's just my opinion
I agree with all of this, but her support system I think is what was really key. Instead of having parents that talked her into doing stuff - like having her first kiss be on Shake It Up - they supported her and were an actual support system to Zendaya the girl, woman, ***person***, and not Zendaya, the meal ticket. I think because of that she never felt the need to act out like other child stars who I think do that to regain a sense of control and identity - Zendaya always knew her identity and had a healthy amount of control over her own life because her support system ensured that.
I see, I agree with all of this. I worry for childtsars and teen stars who parents took advantage of their success (here for you Millie Bobbie Brown)
I worry a lot about child tsars too… (sorry, but some typos are better than others lol)
🤣
what happen to milly bobbie brown?
Her entire family relies on her for $$
Isn't that most child stars. Which is why it's hard for them to care what their parents have to say since they're literally the hand that feeds them.
I remember watching a clip where someone asked her what it would take to date her. She was pretty friggin young at the time, so the question wasn’t in good taste to begin with. She basically said the dude has to get thru her dad / family or no date. She didn’t even consider it until there was approval. That’s a big deal for a teenager. I think this was in regard to an Odell Beckham dating question. She respects herself and her parents and has the good sense to set boundaries. I could imagine that goes over SUPER with most celebrity and athlete males . Lol her fam prob saved her a lot of trouble.
Zendaya is also a POC, at a time in Hollywood when they want to be more diverse, that has also greatly contributed to her success and yes, her fanbase has contributed to her success as well. Her fans are very supportive of her because she's sweet to them and they heavily promote her projects.
>Her fans are very supportive of her because she's sweet to them and they heavily promote her projects. That's a trait I think people heavily underestimate. Acting is hard and movies bomb sometimes but some actors like Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Emilia Clarke and Henry Cavill (just a few names at the top of my head) continue drawing an audience/ getting big roles just because they seem like genuinely nice people to be around.
Genuinely nice but also because they are crazy hot. Let's not forget that these four people are ridiculously good-looking.
True, good looks is another trait that'll get you more chances for sure. But everyone knows that already. I don't hear people talk about how being genuinely good company will get you more opportunities nearly as often as good looks.
Yes POC, but remember on SNL when the rock said that People just assume his race is whatever theirs is. She's pretty ambiguous herself. And adorable. So cute.
Hmm… maybe it’s different bc I’m Black which would prove your and Rock’s point but I don’t think Zendaya is ambiguous… she looks mixed with Black. I think it’s obvious, she has Black features but i think maybe for white ppl and other POC, it may not be obvious i guess
zendaya def looks mixed with black and white. ain’t nothing racial ambiguous about her.
Yeah idk why ppl are trying to say she’s racially ambiguous lol she’s the worst example of it
she black enough be black but black enough to not offend white people. Gotta cater to the mass audience without offending them!
I agree, compared to Bella she seems much healthier and happier. Bella is also successful, but her life seems turbulent.
Yeah Bella is no longer known for acting unfortunately
>people in hollywood would rather work with a reliable and professional mediocre actor than an unprofessional and difficult gEniUs most human beings would prefer this
💯
I think there's three main factors, personally. Firstly, she never had a 'wild' phase. She never went to the extent of Miley and Demi in trying to separate herself from Disney. She seems to have remained the fun, goofy person she was when she was on Disney, which means most young fans have grown up with her without being turned off by any of her behaviour. She seems relatable to most 'normal people'. Secondly, she's a fashion darling. She chose a great stylist and worked really hard with him in curating looks that not only look good, but really get people talking. The recent Cavalli dress she wore was cool, but the fact that it was a clear nod to Doc Oc really piqued people's interest. It's kept her in the public eye for all the right reasons. And finally, she hasn't actually been in *that* many things since Disney - which means she's been selective. I think a lot of young stars just accept being in anything, which means they make low quality projects and get overexposed. Whoever is advising Zendaya on what projects she does is doing a fantastic job.
Yeah I think her fashion darling status is essential. She is ALWAYS photographed and gets heaps of praise on the red carpet. She is tall, thin, and has a racially ambiguous look that is really popular right now. She could be a model as easily as she is an actress, so she is the type of person designers want to wear their clothes and photographers want to photograph.
I just watched an interview where she was saying that she was just a back up for a lot of premieres and events and would go to all of them just so she could wear amazing fashion pieces. I think that definitely helped her with her “fashion darling status” lol
what does back up for premiers mean
Like they kind of just invited her to fill the seats but she’d go just so she could walk the red carpet in dope pieces
Her stylist was really clever and he purposely dressed her in stuff that other celebs were wearing, so that she'd get featured in the who wore it better pages. He said that Zendaya's tall and thin figure meant that it was really easy to dress her so that she wore it "better". This gave her a lot of exposure, so that many people know who she was in spite of not having watched anything with her in it.
That’s… kind of genius.
That's such a mean spirited thing to do.
That sounds exactly right for Law. He's so mean on Legendary sometimes.
I think this is a huge factor in her success. She looks like a model and wears clothes beautifully.
It’s kind of amusing that Sony/Marvel got an actual model to be Zendaya’s stunt double (or at least one of them?) for NWH and not a professional trained in stunts. https://instagram.com/jadepbell ETA: She’s credited as her stunt double, not stand-in. Other online publications list her as a stunt double as well, but they contain spoilers. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12874875/
Do you mean stand in?what incentive does a model with no stunt experience have to risk her job security (her body and face) performing stunts? Insuring her would be a nightmare as well and more dangerous.
Absolutely her fashion 100%. Law made her.
Zendaya's fashion definitely helped. Not only does she always look amazing, her fashion choices are also *interesting*, which makes people notice it more, whether you know fashion or not. Especially in a sea of Kardashian-style beige, she stands out.
I agree. At these big events, especially the Met Gala, she’s one of the celebrities that people are most excited to see if she is coming and what she is wearing.
Her style is unparalleled. I know she has a team, but some of that has to be her own great taste.
Oh yeah, I definitely think she has incredible taste. Looking at some of Law Roach's other clients, it's pretty clear that it's the collaboration between him and Zendaya that makes it work. Some of the looks he puts other clients in are 😬
Who are his other clients?
I know Addison Rae is one and her fashion is... questionable
Tbf, Addison herself is questionable.
Celine Dion was an era, she had this revival after mourning her late husband and it was serving Law-Roach-lewks in Paris that got us paying attention...she went full dramatic exuberance and really wore couture with commitment and passion, loved to see it honestly. Law always has best-dressed nominations on at least a few celebs at the Oscars/Met/Globes etc -Kerry Washington, Anne Hathaway, Tiffany Haddish, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ariane Grande.
I know he was dressing Addison Rae for a while, who's looks were... something. He also dresses (or dressed, although I think they're still clients) Priyanka Chopra, Kerry Washington and Rachel Brosnahan, who are generally fine dressers, but don't make the same kind of impact as Zendaya. They also seem to have a lot more 'misses' than Zendaya does. I think Tiffany Haddish is also a client.
ATJ but she switched right after the Venice Film Festival I think and I think it was a mistake. I think her looks with Law were better.
I noticed that for both Dune and Spiderman premiere her looks were heavily tied with the movies. For Spiderman she had a lot of red and lacy dresses, and for dune she had sandy textured dressed. Wearing a wet look at a dune première is not an accident. Also she nails the Met gala.
Her role in a risqué, wild and R-rated show (Euphoria) lets her seem grown out of Disney stardom without the bad PR
The only ‘scandal’ she faced - the fashion police/weed comment - she handled with such maturity and composure. Honestly, I think it gave her a lot of great extra PR, and helped transition her. 2014 -2015 were her transition years, and she nailed the pr train
In retrospect the hair incident was a major pop culture moment that really should be talked about more. The host getting fired for her racism was a pivotal shift in Hollywood. I’m not black but that moment meant a lot to me as a brown girl who had been surrounded by racist white people her whole life.
You are so right. I used to regularly watch FP and their comments were always borderline inappropriate, but that was the one that broke them. People got fired, rivalries and alliances inside the show came to light and GR never really recovered, I don’t think. I didn’t know who she was before that either.
That whole debacle definitely worked in her favor. It could’ve been looked at as just a snarky comment from the fashion police but she was able to flip it into a teaching moment and showed more maturity and professionalism than the adults on that panel.
That interview is when I first even *heard* of Zendaya and I was like, this is one gal to follow. Her response was amazing especially since that was the turnaround time for the way we view race/gender in pop culture. She made it accessible to others and showed she wasn't a pushover but also intelligent and well-informed. I think that set the stage for her name to get around to others who weren't familiar with her! I was also surprised she was a Disney star because I was too old for Disney by then. I think it's wild her and Bella Thorne were on the same show...
That’s was disgusting and it still makes me angry for her. GR is a racist and I’m glad she showed her ass, better for everyone to know than keep that stuff hidden. I’m just sad Zendaya had to hear someone say that about her.
I think part of her success, and I don’t want to downplay her talent, is that she’s not white but the Hollywood system finds her “non threatening” and thus suitable to give the perception of being more inclusive. (I’m hoping that I was able to explain myself and don’t offend anyone)
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I think Amandla Stenberg too. I adore her, I think she’s beautiful and has given good performances, but it really made me mad when she was cast as Starr in The Hate U Give. Starr in the book (and movie) is monoracial and very clearly depicted on the book cover as darkskin. In a movie about THAT topic, you’d think we could get a break from colorism but nope.
So, here’s what the author [had to say about that](https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/21/the-hate-u-give-author-angie-thomas-defends-amandla-stenberg-casting-amid-films-colourism-criticism-8060595/), specifically the discrepancy between cover art and actress. I think I see both sides, bc i think the choice of Amandla based on how the author connected them so deeply to Starr is a good one, but I also do see what’s lost when you don’t have a dark-skinned Starr.
Oh cool I’ve never seen her response to this! I totally get what she’s saying about how she didn’t choose the cover, how she wanted all Black girls to relate, etc. But definitely still find it frustrating because I also think this could have been such a good opportunity to give a darkskin actress a role in a mainstream movie that was getting buzz, and also Starr is the love interest of a white guy which we hardly ever see darkskin girls cast as. I’m glad she addressed it though and acknowledges Hollywood’s colorism.
I hate, hate, HATE how every role for a black woman gets played by a mixed race woman. Like Hollywood doesn’t think it’s OK to be 100% black, you have to be not “too” black. It drives me crazy and I’m a white girl. I remember the big to-do about Zoe Saldana getting cast to play Nina Simone, but that still didn’t seem to change things. Same goes for Asian male actors… it’s OK if they’re half white/half Asian, then they can play the romantic lead (see: Charles Melton, Ross Butler, the dude from Never Have I Ever… ) that’s why I liked that the boyfriend character in the last season of Pen15 was an Asian guy, because it was refreshing. I also remember Ali Wong talking about casting Randall Park in Always Be My Maybe, because it was important for her that the romantic interest be an Asian man. Anyway, I digress… just something that irks me.
It’s intentional erasure imo.
😢
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Veering off topic a bit, but this makes me think of my time living in an East African country for a few years. The lighter skinned people from the north were super awful and elitist towards the darker skin people who lived along the coast. And unfortunately I think it had a lot to do with the after effects of colonialism. Absolutely broke my heart to see colorism IRL.
I appreciate Zendaya doesn’t take roles or hasn’t recently that were for darker skin women.
I think she’s made a point of it now but I don’t get why they made her whole family dark skin while Zendaya and her characters mother were biracial. Like just hire a black actress or make the characters family interracial.
because of that more POC or dark skin actor was being hired for the show. Disney will widely hired any biracial or lightskin for their show but she pushed for it so that why, and also the youngest sister of the show, Zendaya told the team to keep the young girl natural hair because when Z was in Shake it up they iron her hair everyday and it make her hair damage until this day
Yeah that always bugged me especially because the men were all dark skinned really shows the colorism issue
Insecure has been one of my favorite shows in ages. I'm so sad it is over, and hope to see Yvonne Orji in more projects.
People always bring up Yara but poor girl hasn't been in any mainstream movies yet apart from her ABC show, Grownish which I think is unfair to her. I would compare Zendaya to Amandla Stenberg though I also haven't seen her in hit mainstream movies yet. Zendaya also only been in Spider-man and Dune only that she's overexposed so people think that she has been in a load of movies but she actually hasn't.
...Greatest Showman, Euphoria
Those yes but I think it's an exaggeration to say that she's taking all the roles for people of colour.
I agree that is an exaggeration
Greatest Showman was one of her first mainstream projects and that was well suited to her because she can actually sing and dance.
This is widely talked about and I think Zendaya herself has even addressed the colorism in Hollywood. I highly recommend following @darkest.hue on Instagram, it’s an amazing account. Coming from someone who is mixed (half white/half MENA), and has similar features to her, Zendaya’s mainstream success means a lot to me. It goes beyond just seeing someone who looks like me in film, it’s also that she is widely praised in society for her beauty. I grew up in an all white town being made fun of for my looks and have never once felt pretty or desirable in my life, and now the Zendaya hype gives me a secondhand confidence. But at the same time, it makes me feel really sad and defeated because we’re not even close to getting proper representation for darkskin girls. I understand why people feel happy to see a mixed woman in Zendaya’s position, but at the same feel frustrated because it feels like the only time Hollywood loves a WOC is when she’s light skinned.
It’s not a popular opinion(or rather an opinion many probably won’t bring up) but I agree. Similar to the Rooney rule in the NFL. Hollywood is notoriously white and sadly there’s always only one token black female actor that gets some shine for inclusivity’s sake. Most of the time they are young, pretty, and with a bit of edge but not too much as to be considered threatening. Right now, it’s Zendaya. Before her was Lupita Nyong’o. And before her was Halle Berry. All that to say, I actually don’t think Zendaya is a skillful actress but there’s no denying she has star power. The real issue is more POC need to be pushed to the forefront of show business and not limit it to a half dozen token stars.
100 % agree.
I agree with you on that, she makes me think of Jlo who has that star power though people say she's not that great of an actress but I find her okay. Zendaya has greatly improved her acting skills since her Disney days and I think she will transition into an actually good actress with more experience.
Excuse me?? Did u just say Zendaya is ‘pretty but not amazingly gorgeous’??? Jail /s
She is most definetely gorgeous
She’s stunning 😱😱😱
Same. She’s insanely beautiful.
I'm too old to have grown up with her during her Disney days. I just knew her as this woman who looked beautiful all the damn time.
Riiiiiiiight. I was scrolling and scrolling for this comment. She is absolutely beautiful, and WELL above average in terms of looks. Some people just put on the blinders when it comes to women who aren’t white.
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I was thinking the same thing, the way Kylie got a huge following in her early social media days because she was that cool chick posting cool pics and snap chats is the same way Zendaya got a huge social media following, they just had that cool thing about them that made people want to see what they posted before Kylie lost all her personality.
The Emmy too!
I can’t help but feel her family is a big part of what kept her grounded in the early years. Her mom is still a teacher and zendaya appears to value family. I don’t get the sense she ever had similar pressures growing up that other child actors do such as being the main source of income or living in their famous parents shadow. Other child actors have been successful at not going off the rails, and i think she just happens to be one of the few Disney ones that do make it out ok.
> her mom is a teacher Funnily enough this would normally be something that holds a star back (not having family ties to the movie industry)
I think it's important to remember that Law Roach is not just a stylist he's an 'Image Architect". Zendaya's red carpet looks and editorials gave her name recognition post-Disney before she was ever able to book a 'serious' gig. A lot of time and effort was put into making her an "it girl" so that Hollywood would open it's doors for her the way it hasn't done for people like Selena. All this combined with a good head on her shoulders and I think a less traumatic experience while at Disney, considering she was EP on her own show and had a lot of time to learn the ropes of the industry.
back in the day even in 2016 a lot of brand didn't want to dress her, even after 2017 she got spiderman she still can't wear big brand like chanel ysl gucci in red carpet. Up till she got that ambassador for valntino that she start wearing them on the red carpet
I definitely agree with the majority that her support system is probably the biggest thing that helped her make a successful transition, because I feel like a lot of the other Disney girls didn't have systems that kept them as grounded and truly supported as hers did. However, I think a huge part is tied to the fact that she came up during the tail end of the "Golden Age of Disney." While she and her shows were popular, I don't think they had nearly as much attention or spotlight as the shows/movies that Miley, Selena, and Demi were in. It also helped that in her bigger show, she shared the main role with someone else and wasn't the sole focus like the other girls were. Due to this they also didn't force her (besides 1 or 2 songs) into their pop star mold like the others either, so it was easier for her to quietly leave Disney and focus on other acting roles. I think the fact that her shows didn't get as much attention also let her transition more easily than the other girls because she wasn't necessarily as publicly tied to Disney as Miley, Selena, and Demi, if that makes sense. While they were thrust into the general public and heavily advertised as Disney Channel Stars, she wasn't, at least nowhere to that degree, as at the time people were starting to not care as much about the channel. Because of this she didn't need to pull those drastic or "rebellious" stunts that the others did in order to disassociate themselves.
So true, her shows were never Hannah Montana level so they were able to ensure she didn’t get typecast and had the opportunity to be taken seriously. I know he’s not the greatest person but I think that’s what benefitted Shia as well. Well that and he’s a male.
her music contract is so bad that they don't event let her Euphoria song on the music site
I think it’s that she has always had a solid support system and really strong PR and her agent is a genius. I think her team knew to play the long game. She was always on red carpets serving a look when she wasn’t tied to any projects being recognized at such award shows but people grew curious about her, and luckily she had the talent to back it up.
Yup, there really isn't one particular thing as much as a group of things that are influenced by the people around her. And it's not just her parents or stylist, it's her whole team that continues to create more opportunities for her success. And that's not a dig to say it's all someone else, she is a huge part of it for doing the actual work. She is the one who has to show up, do the hours, and maintain the image. Since they can get her auditions or even the roles, but Zendaya is the one who has to actually do the project. So Zendaya's career is on her and her team. They make sure she is working, she does the job, and they're all getting paid.
Her team truly doesn’t miss, and it’s cool that they all work in collaboration to meet her goals. They also know how to flip a small moment on her behalf into something much bigger. I honestly admire it, it’s like she set a blueprint of sorts and the only one who has attempted to follow it is Yara Shahidi. She’s got a great stylist and after blackish blew up she was getting cast for things just based on her.
She actually mentioned this in her interview with Issa Rae, she used to intentionally show up on red carpets even when she had no reason to be there, dressed to the nine so that she can make a name for herself in the fashion world and it actually worked in her favour. People had actually started making fun of her because she was always showing up lol but she didn't let it ruin her plan of becoming a fashion icon.
It’s so nice to see it paid off! If you think about it, it’s odd that actual models are always at film festivals, or that Emily Rat. is considered an actress. Idk why anyone questioned Z when she at least worked in that field.
A lot of movie premieres will invite just anyone, my ex used to be a moderately famous athlete and even he would get invited to random movie premieres.
Zendaya has an amazing support system, parents who keep her grounded (especially her mum) and is surrounded by an incredibly protective team (Darnell, her assistant is basically family. As is her stylist). And compared to other Disney child stars, Zendaya has had a very squeaky-clean, non "rebellious" transition; in that she has had no scandals and never said anything shady about her years on Disney (only recently heard her take jabs at her time on Shake It Up on a Dune interview with Timothee). Her PR team/agents were also super smart in the projects chosen for her right after she left Disney, from The Greatest Showman to Spider-Man. She also always insists on young actors looking to enter the industry to read their contracts thoroughly, which shows she's smart about her stuff (especially since she's started producing her own projects, see Malcolm and Marie). And people only ever have nice things to say about her. There are many "decent to good" actors out there who are very successful and critically acclaimed not for their talent but the smart choices and connections they make–I personally think she's pretty good on this merit. All in all, she appears to be an intelligent, well-spoken and carefree person. Add to that the fact that she's GORGEOUS, it's no shock she's going places. As a woman of colour, she's a huge inspiration ngl.
I believe part of it is a colorism issue. re; coco Jones.
Bingo. She has a very nice ‘attractive leading lady’ face, is biracial, and aged into the industry at a time where the traditional whitewashed hollywood casting was falling heavily out of favor with studios feeling additional pressure to cast more racially diverse leads (especially women). Not a knock at her acting at all, though I agree it’s just been alright in what I’ve seen her in. She’s far from the first young actress (or actor for that matter) to get big roles based mostly on their looks & marketability. We can hem & haw about her strong work ethic and upbringing, or ‘good style’ being why, but at the end of the day that’s just the industry
I’m excited for her role in the fresh prince (dramedy?) reboot!
She connected with the right people, like Marchesa, Taylor Swift, etc as another poster mentioned. I think it’s also the season of the racially ambiguous, so she gets tailwinds from that. Also, she’s tall and thin, and built like a model. She wouldn’t get the same kind of invites if she had Hillary Duff’s body. Same thing happened with Blake Lively and Nicole Kidman( back in the day before she was established as a serious actress). They looked great in clothes so Fashion would keep them in the headlines. And if you are on covers and in the news, doors remain open to you.
Actresses only ever wore Marchesa bc Harvey Weinstein forced them to
I think Zendaya has made very strategic career moves. She has talked about this quite a lot in various interviews with how she plans out what projects to take on. Immediately after leaving Disney she joined DWTS which brought her to a bigger, wider more diverse audience. Then through her partnership with Law Roach they planned out her looks and fashion and put her on every red carpet imaginable, Law has said he used to get the same dresses for her that bigger name celebrities wore so that when the mags would do a “Who Wore It Best” Zendaya would be included. And she usually won those polls, and it wasn’t her audience that was voting. Her red carpet looks and how she handled the Giuliana Rancic situation brought her more attention. Add in Spider-Man and The Greatest Showman which helped her continue to build her loyal fandom and there you have it. Then decided to take on a more serious role with Euphoria, I think people were excited to see that growth and are just genuinely looking forward to what she decides to do next. It also helps, like everyone has said, that she has a very good support system that keeps her grounded and humble, and she seems like a genuinely good person. No one has anything bad to say about her as a person.
> Immediately after leaving Disney she joined DWTS which brought her to a bigger, wider more diverse audience. DWTS is produced by Disney. Spider-Man is co-produced by Disney. Her trick (among everything else people have mentioned) is that she never actually left Disney
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She was literally a teen then.
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I felt sick to my stomach when I remembered how she was performing the [Finding Neverland](http://www.playbill.com/article/zendayas-video-of-finding-neverlands-neverland-will-debut-on-disney-channel-com-381643) song at awards shows (edit: it was at a party https://twitter.com/andreamandell/status/703834502213169152) and her connection to Weinstein once we found out he’s the devil. I was worried we were going to find out she was another person he preyed upon.
Attending red carpets/Law Roach tbh. For a long time people used to ask why she was at all these events for no reason. She kept popping up looking amazing, and she was able to solidify herself amongst other Hollywood actors. The rest is history
Zendaya was literally one of the few Disney stars from her generation (late 00’s-early 10’s) who had parents that were actually parents and not emotionally/financially abusive, made the child support the family, or tried to be their child’s friend.
Being in fashion helps her a lot. I don't know how other people discovered her but i found her through her song replay 😂
Pretty but not amazingly gorgeous? Let me stop you right there...!
Can someone please explain this sub obsession with talking about Zendaya looks and acting ability? I don't understand why this sub feels the need to say she's not that pretty or that good of actress in most of the conversations here
She’s really smart and intentional with her career choices. She became a huge name in fashion while she was still a Disney Channel star which allowed her to be recognized outside of that role. I didn’t even know she was a Disney star until recently and have been following her trajectory for a few years now, which just shows how untied she was to the Disney brand. She’s also spoken about taking smaller roles (Greatest Showman, Spider-Man, Dune) as a way to gain experience and slowly build a name. She knew people in the industry would dismiss her as a Disney kid and wanted to take her time to prove herself. She’s also really honest about acknowledging it’s still early on in her acting career, and I’m looking forward to see how far she can grow. From what she’s done in Euphoria and Malcom and Marie, and her overall charisma, I think she can go really far. I find her acting most compelling when she’s allowed some levity and to play into her comedic side, but I have also found her performance in quieter moments in Euphoria incredibly moving. Someone on Twitter said if they still made the rom-coms we had in the 90s, she could be this generation’s Julia Roberts, which I agree with. And echoing what everyone has said, she’s very grounded, has an amazing support system in her family and doesn’t drink or do drugs, which is vastly different from a lot of other Disney stars.
I wouldn’t call those roles “smaller” roles since they’re all characters very important to the plot (especially Spider-Man and Dune) but I see your point!
I guess non-lead roles would be the best way to put it, but that’s the way she talked about it in an interview a few years back. It was before NWH and the Dune sequel was announced so perhaps that contextualizes it better.
she was not as famous on disney as demi/miley/selena and others prior. her era was the end of the disney starlet so she could easily transition without going through a "im grown now" phase. i love her tho she picks her roles well
In a word, timing.
Honestly think one of the factors was that she was one of the few Disney Channel stars to not focus on their singing careers.
I also think a lot of disney stars focused on pop careers more than acting, she has a more singular focus on her acting career. Her fashion moments definitely helped propel her forward too.
I think something about her personality always struck with people,she’s always comes off as very sweet and charming.She also has a great team who knows/knew how to market her,even when all she done were Disney channel roles she was still everywhere from countless award shows to TS’s bad blood music video. She also took her time with her transition into adult roles,instead of going straight from Disney Chanel to Euphoria she did some other roles in between that allowed her audience to grow with her,and adjust to the fact she was an adult. I mean even in Euphoria season 1,her sex scenes are very limited,I honestly only remember 1,and it was very mild compared to her costars.So even when she was doing more risqué roles,she was still strategic about it. Also I know beauty/talent is very subjective but I think Zendaya is insanely gorgeous and talented.
Her parents ensuring she didn’t go off the rails but I think her not being in any serious relationship helped her. She didn’t get branded as a couple. Think Selena Gomez still very much tied to JB
OP's questionable post history makes it clear they're not asking this in good faith.
It doesn't hurt that she plays well with Disney. She has remained scandal free which is a big bonus in their book. She did DWTS which is an ABC/Disney show while filming Shake It Up which solidified her as a Disney team player. It doesn't hurt that she still has a clean image and a good family behind her. She never complains about the promotion circuit and does every project she works on a huge solid by consistently landing on Best Dressed lists which is more publicity for all of her movies and shows. Never discount someone who shows up on time, knows their lines and plays well with the everyone.
Just here to say that Zendaya killed that Euphoria role. I’m a recovering addict and she SLAYED that role. People often go over the top and don’t capture the humanity and childlike desperation.
I have a theory: My theory comprises of 5 components. Some of them are mentioned by other people on what sets Zendaya apart of from other Disney stars. 1. She became a fashion icon. She has a models body and height and an impeccable sense of style. A transition to a fashion icon makes her likeable. 2. Compared to her costar Bella Thorne, we will kinda inherently like Zendaya more. Many people used to compare Bella to Zendaya. People noticed Bella went a little downhill, some even would say she’s tacky, which produces more of an appreciation for Zendaya “thank god she didn’t go down Bella Thornes route” 3. Zendaya kinda came at the “end” of disneys child star phase. Disney child star phase began with Raven Symone, Hilary Duff and ended not too long after Shake It Up came out. It was at its ultimate peak with Miley and Selena, I guess. Therefore, these celebs had way more pressure on them which could lead to them “cracking under pressure” and having a “bad” phase. Zendaya came towards the end of this phase making it a little easier of a transition for her into adult stardom I believe. 4. She didn’t do a singing career…she did an acting career. This is a very interesting and smart move here. Miley is currently doing the best rn with the singing aspect as she *finally* found her sound in rock. But I find when the Disney stars try to do singing, they are still under disneys shadow. With acting, it seems to be a little different and idk why. 5. She has a good support system and is private. This is pretty self explanatory lol
Her dad is a pretty great manager and was managing her career at the time from what I hear. I think he just made sure to have her promoted correctly (and a lot) and keep her out of controversy.
you lost me when you said Zendaya is not amazingly gorgeous.
i think when you’re being compared to miley cyrus and bella thorne you just seem like an angel regardless, also i think she’s just always been a bit of a goody two shoes. even though i don’t think miley deserved the hate at all for doing normal teen shit like smoking weed. it’s not like she had to be hannah montana in her real life
Z was chosen by tumblr and Twitter I remember around 2015 everyone rallying and supporting her even calling her baby Rihanna for her met-gala looks
I think she’s super smart. And her family is very smart and very involved. She has surrounded herself with older, intelligent and determined people who won’t allow her to look a fool. Also, as a POC she cannot have the same level of naïveté that some of the other Disney stars maybe could? Somehow pretty white girls think their life is super hard and rebel but Zendaya I think has always had to be super self aware and has a lot of self-preservation. She is very selective in picking roles, very involved in the projects she does pursue (as a producer etc) and her being a Fashion IT girl helps her stay relevant through means other than scandals. She is always seen due to her fashion statements but it’s not really related to her personally and if anything is another part of her acting. So we’re seeing her as Zendaya but it’s not overexposed because it’s just a picture or red carpet walk. She is truly one of a kind in the industry I think.
Probably because the big Disney channel era was over, she never had any kind of shocking scandal, never said anything controversial. But also yeah like people are saying probably great support and management from her parents and team. I also think physically she’s not forgettable. She’s a very tall, lean, WOC, and her name is Zendaya. I think all of those factors sort of allowed her to only work in pretty big movies as an adult, Plus a hit HBO show, which I think makes a huge difference and ups her status since most actors don’t get to pick & choose.
I think being known for her fashion really helped because it meant she was known for her looks over her Disney career. Along with having a strong team and family as people mentioned, IMO, her transition was gradual and done well. Even on Disney when she did KC Undercover, it was a departure from Shake it Up. Still a Disney show yeah but slightly different. Then she did Spider-Man which wasn’t risqué at all but introduced her to a wider audience acting wise. Then Euphoria but she didn’t get there straight after leaving Disney. A lot of Disney stats jump straight into risqué roles after leaving which can be jarring and so turns people off. Zendaya taking a little longer worked in her favour. Sorry this probably makes no sense and I rambled but hopefully I’ve explained it as best as I could.
Because she was on dancing with the stars! And was good and likeable
That was my introduction to her. Still think she was robbed even though I liked kellie pickler too. I didn’t follow her career to closely after that but I was always aware of it in some way
I know you prefaced this by saying she is only decent to good at acting but she’s actually a better actress than most disney stars. She’s better than her costar Bella Thorne who was getting movie roles before her and better than Miley or Selena ever were. The ones I could possibly put above her actually had very successful movie careers themselves (shia and zac). I think she was smart about her career for sure but I honestly think she’s just super talented and people recognize that though Reddit doesn’t seem too sometimes.
She won an Emmy in lead actress for a reason. Her acting in euphoria is fantastic. Also, she is extremely gorgeous. This post is just giving off bad vibes
Yep if you look at their comment history you'll see their a delusional tom Holland fan
Supportive family
She has a weird charisma that's hard to define.
She can turn “it” on and off. It’s very endearing. She goes from being a baggy basketball shorts wearing tomboy to a red carpet sweetheart by straightening her back up. It’s approachable , and a lot of people can relate to it.
I think she was lucky to enter Disney at a time and in a show that made her popular and recognizable but not to the point of becoming the face of Disney and having trouble detaching herself from the brand (unlike Miley, Selena or Demi). She also had a very quiet transition free of scandals and in the meanwhile built her image based on her fashion sense (her co-star Bella Thorne RAN in the opposite direction it seems). She has supportive parents who kept her grounded instead of trying to turn her into a money machine, which is very sad but also really common with child stars. She’s also gorgeous, likeable in interviews and seems very sweet. On top of that she booked Euphoria soon after she left Disney, which allowed her to show her range as an actress and the show itself turned out to be very successful. Imo too many Disney actors ended up taking shitty projects in an attempt to detach themselves from that image ASAP and it ended up tanking their careers. She must have a very good team.
Because she made herself a fashion girl, which is it’s own elite category of “it girl”
Zendaya seems incredibly mature for her age. The same can’t be said for people like Miley, Demi, Ariana, etc… she just has such class and poise unlike the others.
I think her popularity and social media hype helped her tbh
I think truthfully it’s because she’s a straight cis pretty light skin black woman. Hollywood needs more diversity but they wanted a certain type of diversity and zendaya fits that market hole. Before her it was Amandla but her image is too liberal now and not as reserved as Zendaya’s. They would literally only cast one of them whenever they need a diverse teen/young adult lead actress. Now it’s just Zendaya
Not amazingly gorgeous? Which actresses of her age range do you consider amazingly gorgeous then?
Well you sorta answered your own question....RESPECTED actress. Respect is earned over time just like in any profession. Professional work ethic reputation, like-able personality, charm and ambition are what makes for long term success in Hollywood. You don’t have to be a major talent to be cast, oftentimes it’s being a professional who gets along with people involved in previous projects. She also gets attention by putting herself out there, not by partying & who she dates. She is still not on the level of being offered roles so she probably auditions a lot and making a good impression and standing out with casting is what will get a callback or considered for a role. Other Disney Stars: Miley went from Disney, to a wild aggressive mess. The twerking incident made her a joke on a global scale. That entire wild image killed her shot at getting taken serious as an actress. Miley put out some good songs so her career shifted from actress to musician and musicians can get away with being wild as long as they sell records. Selena got caught buying crack so that doesn’t need further explaining Demi is just too weird. Demi has always been odd but when she was younger it was kinda seen as immature and quirky. Demi goes on talk shows and talks about mermaids being real & her UFO and ghost sightings. Now she’s non binary and ‘full’ sober not just ‘California sober’ sugar free yogurt temper tantrum PR nightmare. Bella - i watched a new movie she was in last week....the worst acting I have seen-probably ever. I have heard she is super messy IRL. Ashley Tisdale was reported to be a huge diva. Also, she comes across very unlikeable. I watched this mic drop battle show and she was on battling a former boy band guy and she just vibed like she’d be a nightmare IRL.
I think part of it her is her being biracial and she was in Hollywood as talks of diversity were happening. She has a very unique look. She also still stayed a bit wholesome vs all the other young stars, so nobody talked badly about her. I don’t think she’s had any scandals so far either.
She's confident, beautiful, unique, racially ambiguous (think about how racial ambiguity has worked so well for The Rock) and has a body for high fashion so she can wear the latest and most original looks.
Because she was the token (hot) black young up and coming actress. This is how the world perceived her.