Zendaya says Hollywood entry was frightening, yet thrilling

Actress Zendaya’s journey into Hollywood hasn’t been a picnic as the ‘Dune’ actress had to face a bunch of troubles when she entered the industry.

Zendaya recently spoke about how she felt when she stepped in as “a leading lady”, calling it a very frightening experience, but something she wanted to do and that was thrilling for her.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, talking about how her roles in ‘Euphoria’, ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Dune’ catapulted her to fame, Zendaya said: “It was a little bit scary when I entered. While it was definitely something that freaked me out, I think it is also a good feeling.”

“To have your own moments of self-doubt and then be like, ‘Ooh, can I do this?’ After this, you can run from that feeling and stay safe and comfortable, or you can go, take the risk and say ‘You know what, f*** it’”, she added.

Zendaya further doubled down about the growing attention she had been getting as a Hollywood star, which came to her notice while filming in Boston in 2022.

“After the last 'Spider-Man' and the last season of 'Euphoria', there was a visceral change,” Zendaya explained. “Before, I could get away with going places and getting in and out. But in Boston, I would end up going right back home, because it was really over stimulating.”

“Everybody would go hang out at a bar or something, and I’d be like, ‘I’d love to, but I think I could ruin everybody’s night. Because it’s just not going to be fun once I’m there,” she added.

In her upcoming film, ‘Challengers’, the 26-year old will portray the character of Tashi Donaldson, the fictional tennis superstar-turned-coach who gets caught in a love triangle.

Talking about her role in the upcoming dramedy, Zendaya called her new venture as a stepping stone to something new which made her feel more ‘grown up’. She said “I felt like it was a good step into a more, I guess you could say, ‘grown-up’ role and into that next phase.”