Zendaya | Biography, TV, Music, Movies, & Facts | Britannica

Big-screen debut and subsequent projects

Looking to broaden her range, Zendaya appeared in her first non-Disney role in 2015, guest-starring as Resheida in season two, episode four of the TV comedy Black-ish. About this time she also appeared in a number of music videos, including Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” (2015), Beyoncé’s “All Night” (2016), and Bruno Mars’s “Versace on the Floor” (2017).

Did You Know?

For her role as a trapeze artist in The Greatest Showman, Zendaya underwent training to perform many of the stunts herself. She said that the director, Michael Gracey, wanted to keep the use of a stunt double to a minimum.

In 2017 Zendaya bagged her first big-screen role, as Michelle (“MJ”) Jones, opposite Tom Holland as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That same year she portrayed Anne Wheeler, a trapeze artist, in the musical film The Greatest Showman and showed off her many talents, including singing (with Zac Efron) one of the movie’s most-talked-about songs (“Rewrite the Stars”). In 2019 Zendaya also had a guest spot on the TV drama The OA.

Zendaya reprised her role as MJ in Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Her other movies from 2021 include the romantic drama Malcolm & Marie, where she portrayed the titular character Marie, and the animated Space Jam: A New Legacy, in which she voiced the character of Lola Bunny. Zendaya starred as Chani alongside Timothée Chalamet in Denis Villeneuve’s multipart (2021 and 2024) adaptation of Dune, Frank Herbert’s 1965 science-fiction epic. She was also a part of Elvis Mitchell’s documentary Is That Black Enough for You? (2022), which explores the history of Black cinema.

She followed up with her role as Tashi in Challengers (2024), a romantic drama chronicling the relationship between a trio of tennis players. She also stars opposite actor Robert Pattinson in The Drama, which is expected to be released in 2025.

Access for the whole family! Bundle Britannica Premium and Kids for the ultimate resource destination. Subscribe