Zendaya is currently one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, despite being only 24 years old. Fans can’t get enough of the former Disney Channel star, from her sad performance on the show “Euphoria” to her straight-faced dry humor in the new Marvel “Spider-Man” films. Whether you’ve been a fan since the beginning or have recently become a convert as a result of her current work, here are some things you might not know about Zendaya:
- Zendaya’s name is a blend of Shona and parental creativity.
Zendaya’s full name, Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, has strong roots in her German and African history, according to her. Her initial name was inspired by a Shona term that means “to give thanks,” according to the actress, but her parents gave it a distinctive twist.
- Zendaya’s mother claimed that she had to repeat kindergarten as she was so shy when she was little.
Zendaya’s exuberant demeanor shines through in her social media posts, interviews, and non-“Euphoria” performances, but she wasn’t always so good at interacting with others. Zendaya eventually had to repeat kindergarten to socially catch up with her friends, according to Stoermer.
- Zendaya says she would have been a teacher if she hadn’t become an actress.
Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, Zendaya’s parents, are both teachers, therefore she was exposed to the profession at a young age. Her mother was named a local hero in Oakland, California, for her efforts to introduce Shakespeare and the arts to students. Her father was a physical education teacher at her elementary school, so she got to see him in action.
- Zendaya has frequently mentioned Channing Tatum, a fellow dancer, and actor, as being one of her celebrity crushes.
Zendaya mentioned a couple of her celebrity crushes in a 2015 interview with Essence. Actors Morris Chestnut, Michael B. Jordan, and Idris Elba, Idris Elb a, and NFL star Cam Newtonst. But there’s one name she’s always mentioned as her biggest celebrity crush: Channing Tatum. On the set of “Smallfoot,” Zendaya got to work with Tatum for one day and remarked in 2018 that it was “great to have Channing there and bouncing off each other’s energies.”
- She has half-siblings who are older than her.
Although she is her parent’s only child, she has a large number of half-siblings on her father’s side. She also has five other half-siblings from her father’s previous marriage, as well as nieces and nephews who are older than her.
- Since she was six years old, she has been an activist.
She was an activist from an early age, as well as being linked with singing, dancing, and acting like a child. Zendaya was praised almost universally for her feisty answer to Giuliana Rancic’s remarks about her dreadlocks at the 2015 Academy Awards. In reality, she claimed that her first experience with activism occurred when she was six years old when she and two close friends petitioned their school principal to stage a play honoring Black History Month, in which Zendaya played Bessie Coleman.
- When she was younger, she appeared in a number of Shakespearean plays.
Her mother was a well-known theater actress who appeared in several Shakespearean productions. She was inspired by Shakespeare as a young adolescent and starred in a Berkeley Playhouse production of Once on This Island. She also appeared in the play Caroline, Or Change at Palo Alto’s TheatreWorks.
- She was bullied at school as a child.
Zendaya, like many other children and teenagers, was subjected to a lot of bullying at school. According to People, despite her self-assurance, she has been subjected to a fair amount of bullying. She described a fifth-grade event in which she failed to stand up for a classmate who was being bullied. She’s made it her duty to intervene and advocate for bullying youngsters whenever she can since then.
9. When she starred in Shake It Up, she was only 12 years old.
Zendaya’s most well-known screen credit, aside from her roles in “The Greatest Showman” and “Spiderman,” is the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up. She was just 14 when the show aired, and she confessed in an interview with Complex that she was only 12 when she auditioned for the show.
- Her mother has previously worked in the theater.
Zendaya’s mother’s professional choices are largely to blame for her developing an interest in acting. As reported by Glamour, although though her mother’s major profession was teaching, she also worked a second job at the California Shakespeare Theatre, and Zendaya used to constantly go with her mom when she went to work and rapidly found herself captivated with theater arts.
Zendaya has the extraverted, intuitive, feeling, and judging (ENFJ) personality type. She is courteous and concerned about others. ENFJs are typically driven by a desire to make a positive difference in the world and the lives of others around them. Zendaya is inspiring and charismatic, exuding a special kind of positivity that draws people in.