Zendaya has achieved more in her career than many could have hoped for in a lifetime. She starred in blockbusters, joined a successful superhero franchise, and even won an Emmy Award. But what sets her apart is her unwavering embrace of her Disney Channel origins. While speaking with Carey Mulligan on DiversityZendaya once spoke openly about her gratitude for her Disney days and the valuable lessons she learned along the way. However, she accepted the fact that her Disney background made Euphoria a little difficult to accept.
Zendaya is proud of her Disney background
Zendaya’s journey into the entertainment industry began in 2010 when she starred in the Disney Channel series Shake It Up. After that, she took on several projects online, including KC Undercover, which ran from 2015 to 2018. Despite moving into more mature roles in projects like HBO’s Euphoria, Zendaya deeply values her Disney roots and recognizes that she is a Disney Kids.
The actress spoke about starting her career at Disney and said, “I’m grateful for it. That’s where I started and I learned a lot from that experience.”
She added: “It was just a slow development and I’m glad it was all to prove it to myself and not to anyone else, you know? I hug it a little. In a way, it’s part of my heritage.”
Zendaya on how signing with Euphoria made her wary of her Disney past
Even with her impressive acting experience, Zendaya admitted that she had moments of self-doubt. She said the role in Euphoria made her apprehensive at first because of her Disney experience.
“I always felt like I had something to offer: that I could be creative and free to try things and come up with bad ideas,” she explained. The actress further added, “Because of the Disney kids stuff, I’m afraid of these things.”
However, Zendaya eventually overcame her doubts and won an Emmy Award for her acclaimed role in Euphoria. But all this does not change anything: the actress still proudly imagines herself as a Disney child.