Zendaya, Lena Waithe & More Talk Pushing Boundaries In Elle's Women in Hollywood Issue

Zendaya and the Queen & Slim creatives, writer Lena Waithe, director Melina Matsoukas and star Jodie Turner-Smith, stun in these new images from Elle‘s Women in Hollywood issue, on newsstands on October 22nd.

Here’s what the entertainers had to share in the issue:

Zendaya on how before Euphoria, she didn’t have any work that pushed her or allowed her to be creative: “I was looking for something to prove I can do it. Euphoria served as that, in the healthiest way. I never want to plateau as an actress – I always want to be able to explore and push myself. [Being an actress] brings me to places and makes me do things I’d probably never do because I’m such an introverted person. I know, I’m super hard on myself. People actually saying I did a good job at my craft…it’s like, ‘D***, I did work hard. I’m glad you see that.’ I should finally own that; it’s liberating. I feel lucky.”

Lena Waithe on writing Queen & Slim: “I didn’t truly experience what it means to feel like a second-class citizen until I sold my first TV show. Because out of five people, I was the fifth most important person in the room. During the first season [of The Chi], I didn’t have any real agency, so that’s when I started working on the script. It was almost my way of rebelling and reminding myself I do have a gift. They can’t appreciate it now, but they will.”

Jodie Turner-Smith on the message behind Queen & Slim: “The act of committing that type of violence is not something that is glorified, but it’s really a comment on how black people are put in this kind of life-or-death situation way too often. These people make the radical choice to survive, even when it means doing something so horrible that there’s no coming back from it. Even thinking about the concept raises the hairs on my arms, because it really is a film about black survival at all costs.”

For more from the stars, visit Elle.com.