Zendaya admitted she has mixed feelings about growing up as a child star and being forced into adulthood as a result.
She recalled starting in show business at a very young age on Disney’s “Shake It Up” before skyrocketing to fame in 2017 with her role in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Her instant success led to big paychecks, and before she knew it, Zendaya was supporting her family.
“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,” she told British Vogue, for their May cover.
Zendaya attends the 71st Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Now that she is an adult, she is able to reflect on her past and realize that she didn’t have much of a childhood.
“I don’t know how much of a choice I had,” she said.
“I have complicated feelings about kids and fame and being in the public eye, or being a child actor,” Zendaya told British Vogue.
Referencing the recent stories about child sexual assault allegations on the set of television and movie sets in Hollywood, the famous actress admitted she has a tough time with the concept of child stardom.
Zendaya attends the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 20, 2023 in Paris, France. Photo by Victor Boyko/Getty Images for Louis Vuitton
Zendaya attends the 74th Primetime Emmys at Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
“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 “Euphoria” star said she felt increased pressure while she was growing up, and recalled feeling she had to be “this perfect being, and be everything that everyone needs me to be, and live up to all these expectations.”
She said the demands of her career led to delayed processing of some of her childhood emotions at this stage in her life.
Zendaya said she is “almost going through my angsty teenager phase now,” because she “didn’t really have the time to do it before,” according to British Vogue.
Her unconventional upbringing continues to have an impact on her life.
Zendaya attends the World Premiere of “Dune: Part Two” in Leicester Square on February 15, 2024 in London, England. Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images
“Now, when I have these moments in my career — like, my first time leading a film that’s actually going to be in a theater — I feel like I shrink, and I can’t enjoy all the things that are happening to me,” she said.
“I’m very tense, and I think that I carry that from being a kid and never really having an opportunity to just try shit.”
Although she has a good circle of celebrity friends around her, Zendaya admitted, “I think there could be more.”
“I would love to see more who look a little bit more like me around me. I think that that is something that is crucial and necessary,” she said. (RELATED: Former Child Star Jack Salvatore Says Nickelodeon Producer Dan Schneider Used Shotgun To Intimidate Writers)
As for things she wishes she could have done in the past, the famous actress admitted there was one thing that she feels she really missed out on.
“I wish I went to school,” she said.