Zendaya, who stars in the upcoming Dune: Part Two which was recently delayed, and who is known for playing MJ in the MCU Spider-Man movies and for HBO’s Euphoria, says she wants to play a villain.
The 26-year-old actress spoke with Elle and talked about her latest film, Challengers, where she stars in a movie about competitive tennis playing, and was asked about what she would like to play in the future.
Wants to play a villain
“I would love to play a villain of sorts,” she replied. “Tap into the evil, supervillain vibes. Whatever that manifests in, I don’t think necessarily in a superhero sense, I just mean in like an emotional sense.”
She continued, “I feel like I usually play the good guy, so I’d like to play the bad guy.”
Wants to direct or be a teacher
Zendaya also answered what would she be doing if she were not acting.
“I think within the industry, I would be a director, which is something I hope to do one day,” she said. “And I think outside, I feel like I would have probably followed in the footsteps of my parents and become a teacher. I love kids, I love learning and I love teaching.”
Most proud of
Zendaya also said she is really proud of herself and what she has accomplished.
“I am the most proud of? This is some deep questions, guys. Wait a minute, now. What am I the most proud of? I am proud of myself, in general. I think it’s important, and it’s not a bad thing to pat yourself on the back and say, ‘”‘You know what, you did a good job.’ I think sometimes that’s not always an easy thing to do,” she said. “I mean, I struggle with it. Sometimes I’m so focused, like, ‘What’s the next thing?’ Or being so self-critical that I forget to go, ‘You know what, actually, dude, you did a good job.’ Like, it’s okay.”
Best industry advice
Zendaya also answered what is the best industry advice she received.
“I don’t know if I’ve received it so much as I had to learn it over time. You can get taken advantage of. So I try my best, especially in business, to be involved in the boring conversations and listen to it, and try to absorb as much as I can so I can really know what’s going on,” she said.
Bing-watching Succession
The actress also revealed the last TV show she binge-watched was Succession.
“So, I’m rewatching Succession because I started the first season, and then for some reason, I stopped. And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, why did I-‘ I was watching that, and then, I don’t know if I got busy or something, but I fell off. And so now I’m rewatching it starting from the beginning. I’ll let you know how it goes. No spoilers!” she said.
Watch more in the video below. Challengers opens on April 26, 2024.