Zendaya has wowed audiences on both large and small screens, and it appears that the young actress has her sights set on the director’s chair. The 25-year-old Oakland native told British Vogue for their October cover story that she wants to grow her career in the film industry, and it appears that directing will be her next step. Zendaya believes that art is a “big catalyst for change,” according to her. “I know that the leads of my films will always be Black women if I ever do become a filmmaker,” Zendaya added. “Man, I need to figure out how to f***ing become a director as soon as possible.
I’m making an effort. Every day, I’m learning something new. I have so many things I want to do.” Zendaya has already received great acclaim from Sam Levinson, who directed her in the HBO miniseries Euphoria and the Netflix film Malcolm & Marie. He believes she will become a “amazing filmmaker” because of her directorial ability. Zendaya has reportedly had directing on her mind for some time. According to People, Zendaya mentioned her desire to direct in a February interview with The New York Times, telling the publication that she would “want to be able to be a director” and that Levinson was already teaching her.
“Sam [Levinson] is always like, I give you a year until you’re directing something, and I’m like, all right, well, that means you got a year to teach me,” Zendaya said. “So I don’t know what that looks like personally, but I really enjoyed being a producer.” Zendaya also emphasized the importance of representation on screen, telling the Times, “I enjoy this idea of hopefully one day being able to make the things that I want to see, the roles that I want to see for Black women. That would be exciting and a goal of mine.”
