The rising star joined a group of 100 seniors in the Acting and Musical Theatre Conservatories on the Zoom platform
Actress and singer Zendaya, best known for her roles in Marvel’s Spider-Man films and “The Greatest Showman,” joined a group of Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) and California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV) seniors for a virtual interview and Q&A during the COVID-19 quarantine. Scheduled to be part of CSArts-SGV’s 2019-2020 Master Artist Series, Zendaya offered to do the class from home during this historical time.
Jud Williford, the chair of theatre at CSArts-SGV has known Zendaya since she was 6 years old. She grew up watching him and other professional actors perform at California Shakespeare Theatre (Cal Shakes) in Northern California, where her mom was the house manager.
“I grew up at Cal Shakes,” said Zendaya during the Zoom call. “That was home to me. I’d watch everything they performed. I was in love with the process of it. That was where the love started.”
Zendaya, now 23 years old, got her start as a child model and backup dancer and soon earned a role as Rocky Blue on Disney Channel’s sitcom “Shake It Up.” From there, she became a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” and more recently has emerged as a prominent actor with major roles in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” “The Greatest Showman” and the lead role in HBO’s acclaimed series “Euphoria.”
During the interview portion of the Zoom call, Zendaya talked about her experience during the quarantine and what she’s been up to since her acting life has been temporarily put on hold due to the crisis. She said she has been using the free time to watch more movies and paint, but still misses being able to act every day.
“I love what I do, so taking a break from it definitely sucks, but it could be much worse. I’m taking my time and will get back to it when I get back to it,” she said.
She shared with students that while she was trying not to put too much pressure on herself during this time, she was continuing to have creative conversations with those who inspire her.
“If you have ideas, write them down, cultivate them, think about them,” she said. “Your perspective and ideas are special because they belong to you. Your ideas are valuable”
The Q&A session was filled with many types of questions from eager students, ranging from how to manage the stress of being a famous actor, to how to get into the right mindset for a character. Specifically, one student was curious about how she tapped into the darker ethos for her role as Rue on “Euphoria.”
“With any character that you are playing, no matter how dark they can be or how different their stories are, there’s always a human thread to every emotion that we feel,” she said. “I found sometimes being Rue was exhausting but also very cathartic and therapeutic because it’s bringing out and purging feelings I've dealt with in other situations.”
Zendaya gave a lot of thoughtful advice for the students over the course of the Q&A, but she said ultimately one of the most important things about acting is opening yourself up to the emotions necessary to make your characters feel genuine.
“Don’t be afraid of the embarrassment of not looking cool,” she said. “Let yourself exist and feel all the emotions as they happen.”
The Zoom call ended with waves and screenshots taken from both students and star alike.
“Thank you all so much! This has been the most fun thing I’ve done in a month,” said Zendaya.
Watch the full interview here.