Zendaya Looks Back on the Moment She Realized She Had Power in Hollywood

Zendaya is opening up about her career in Hollywood.

The 24-year-old Spider Man actress appeared on The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast and reflected on her time as a Disney Channel star and her latest film, Malcolm & Marie.

Zendaya revealed that after Shake It Up had wrapped she agreed to do another show with the network, but only on her terms.

“That was my first time realizing that I could have a little bit of power and request things that I wanted,” she shared. “It was hugely important to me that it was a Black family being showcased. I just thought that that was important from the Disney Channel, considering that I know I watched it as a kid, and what I connected to the most was That’s So Raven. I think it’s always important for kids to see themselves reflected on the screen, and when you’re making child programming you have a little bit of an extra responsibility there.”

She also opened up about winning the youngest-ever winner of the best actress in a drama series during the 2020 Emmy Awards.

“I still can’t wrap my mind around it,” Zendaya said. “I’m very grateful for Euphoria and for Rue and for the entire experience. It really allowed me to open myself up to so many things and emotionally tap into things that I just didn’t know were there.”

Earlier this week, Zendaya‘s Spider Man co-star Tom Holland revealed that the actress had given him some valuable advice in handling fan interactions.