Zendaya is one of the busiest people working in Hollywood right now — there’s no doubt about that. It seems the former Disney Chanel star is never far from our screens with some new high-profile project, but it looks like she’s starting to think about using her sway to transition behind the camera. The Marvel actress has opened up about a passion project of hers that she would love to bring to life at some point: a LBGTQ+ love story between two Black women.
While chatting with her Euphoria co-star Colman Domingo for Interview Magazine, Zendaya revealed that she doesn’t “necessarily have a plan” for her career. That said, the idea of shifting into directing in the near future “excites” her as she admits she’s very inquisitive and curious on set and is always asking crew members for more insight and info on the filmmaking process.
“I’ve never really thought, ‘I have to do this by this time and I want to do this by that time,’” Zendaya said about her future plans. “I just want to do the things that make me happy and bring me joy and fulfill me as an artist, as a person. So, I keep that loose, because if one day it turns into a completely different career path, then I would allow myself to do that. The idea of trying to direct in the future excites me. That’s why I’m on set so much. When I’m not in it, I’m right there trying to learn. I go around and I ask our crew members, ‘What are you doing today? Can you explain it to me?’ Because we’ve got some real vets in the game. So, the hope is that I’ll be able to, one day, make the things that I want to see.”
And one of the things that Zendaya wants to see is “a simple love story about two Black girls” that eschews any of the darkness or “traumatic” material that often goes along with stories about queer relationships or race. If she ever made this romantic movie (or TV series, she doesn’t specify), Zendaya would want it to leave audiences “happy” and “wanting to fall in love yourself.”
“I don’t want it to be rooted in anything other than just a story about two people falling in love and that’s it. Something simple and beautiful, that leaves you happy and wanting to fall in love yourself,” she explained. “I haven’t seen that without it dealing more with the traumatic side of things — which is really important to talk about, but I would love a coming-of-age story where awkward and funny things happen, just like when any other young person is trying to figure out who they are.”
Though a lot of actors slowed down during the pandemic, Zendaya had an impressive four major movies come out across 2021. Namely, black-and-white romantic drama Malcolm & Marie, Space Jam: A New Legacy, in which she voiced Lola Bunny, blockbuster franchise-starter Dune and, of course, Spider-Man: No Way Home, opposite partner Tom Holland. 2022 looks to be another big year for her, too, as the long-awaited second season of Euphoria finally lands in January.
Go see Zendaya as MJ when Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on Dec. 17.
