Today, Zendaya is known for a long list of acting accomplishments, from Spider-Man to Euphoria, as well as producing projects like Malcolm & Marie, her own music videos, and some episodes of Euphoria. In short, Zendaya is a multi-talented actress who is nowhere near done with her work in the industry. Though she’s dialed back on the music side of things, Zendaya has a staunch commitment to her brand and her fans.
In an old interview, Zendaya explained her reasoning for sticking by Disney, even though things weren’t always positive while she worked on the Disney Channel, and why she’s still committed to creating content for the younger fans out there.
Zendaya Grew To Fame On The Disney Channel
Most fans of Zendaya today know that her fame originated on Disney Channel, starting with the dance show Shake It Up. Today, she’s probably better known for the role of Rue on Euphoria, but so much happened in between those milestones.
Zendaya may have started out as part of a two-person show—her co-star was Bella Thorne—but soon enough, Disney gave the then-teen her own series.
Shake It Up ended in 2013, but it helped pave the way for Zendaya to begin recording music. She had a handful of Disney-approved songs at the time and also appeared in Shake It Up-themed projects alongside Thorne.
By the time K.C. Undercover came about, Zendaya was ready to lead her own show, and she reportedly had plenty of demands for the series. But even though she seemingly butted heads with some Disney Channel powers, Zendaya came out of it relatively unscathed.
Zendaya Credits Her Parents With Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Being A Child Star
During an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Zendaya gave all the credit to her parents for guiding her through Hollywood. Not only did they instill good values in their daughter, but Zendaya elaborated that her parents still had her back even as she became an adult—and she chose to continue living at home at that point.
Ellen pointedly asked Zendaya how she avoided the pitfalls of being a child star or turning ‘bad,’ and Zendaya said it was all because of her parents.
That doesn’t mean everything has been peachy for Zendaya since her Disney days, though. At one point, Zendaya’s Disney Channel career was a struggle. It caused her family difficulties as they tried to manage their teen’s work responsibilities with her school work, and Zendaya herself had to argue for the academic support she needed.
Zendaya also gave the marked advice to young entertainers that they should always read their contracts, something that seems like a bit of shade toward Disney.
After all, Zendaya apparently had a list of demands for the show K.C. Undercover—which she was granted, even as she pushed back against a kiss scene—and wasn’t going to back down.
There were also rumors of Disney starting a feud between Zendaya and Bella Thorne. With all that apparent drama, however, Zendaya maintains that she will not stop repping for Disney Channel.
The Actress Has A Reason Why She Still Reps The Disney Channel
It’s evident that Zendaya earned her current level of fame thanks to her start on the Disney Channel. Those projects inevitably led to bigger and better things, though Zendaya maintains that she put in a lot of hard work to get roles.
In fact, coming from the Disney Channel wasn’t necessarily a positive thing as she started moving toward more mature programming. Chatting with Ellen back in 2016, during her first appearance on the talk show, Zendaya discussed her career milestones and the experiences she’s gone through.
Zendaya also explained a bit about her commitment to Disney Channel, even though by 2016, while still working on K.C. Undercover, she was also releasing music, working in Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars’ music videos, and auditioning for Spider-Man.
Ellen Show appearance. Ellen reminded Zendaya about her acceptance speech, which highlighted the fact that people have asked her why she still does Disney Channel programming, given how successful she has become.
Zendaya explained that she still feels like she has a responsibility to young kids as a role model, so she has remained committed to being a positive influence on her audience. The actress confirmed that parents had come up to her to say thank you for her being a role model for their kids, something she took very seriously.
At the same time, pre-Spider-Man, Zendaya admitted she was a relative unknown in the industry.
She wanted her work to speak for her in terms of being work she could be proud of, specifically for younger audiences, but also had to put in the work to get roles. During that interview, Zendaya confirmed she was about to debut in the MCU in Spider-Man, but she wasn’t allowed to
