Zendaya, an American singer-actress, has expressed sorrow for not attending school throughout her childhood. In an interview published online Tuesday for Vogue’s May issue, she described her experience as the “breadwinner” for her family at a young age.
“I don’t know how much of a choice I had,” she was quoted as saying. “I have complicated feelings about kids and fame and being in the public eye, or being a child actor.”
“We’ve seen a lot of cases of it being detrimental,” she said. “I think only now, as an adult, am I starting to go, Oh, okay, wait a minute: I’ve only ever done what I’ve known, and this is all I’ve known.”
The 27-year-old ‘Dune’ actress began her career on ‘Disney’s Shake It Up’ at 13 and went on to secure a blockbuster role in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. She stated that she is “almost going through my angsty teenager phase right now.”
“I felt like I was thrust into a very adult position: I was becoming the breadwinner of my family very early, and there was a lot of role-reversal happening, and just kind of becoming grown, really,” the actor said on the Disney Channel.
She also stated that she felt compelled to meet the expectations of people and be the ideal person, and that she frequently feels “very tense” when given opportunities.
She stated, “Now, when I have these moments in my career — like, my first time directing a film that will be shown in a theater — I feel like I shrink, and I can’t enjoy everything that is happening to me.” I’m quite tense, and I believe that stems from my childhood, when I never had the opportunity to just try s***.”
“And I wish I went to school,” she continued.
Her interview comes after she finished filming her latest project, Challengers, which takes Zendaya to new heights because her character Tashi is in her early thirties. It will open in theaters in late April.
The “Greatest Showman” actress has won two Emmys for Best Lead Actress in a Drama and has worked with labels such as Tommy Hilfiger, Bulgari, Lancôme, Valentino, and Louis Vuitton.