Zendaya Through the Years: From Disney Teen to ‘Euphoria’ Leading Lady

Credit: Piers Allardyce/Shutterstock; Mediapunch/Shutterstock; Shutterstock; David Fisher/Shutterstock; Courtesy of HBO

Zendaya Through the Years: From Disney Teen to 'Euphoria' Leading Lady

The Age of Zendaya is upon us. The actress, who celebrates her birthday on September 1, has already left her mark on the Disney Channel, the DWTS dance floor, the Billboard Hot 100 and the world of fashion. Now she’s proving she can handle more adult fare with the HBO drama Euphoria. “There was no strategic plan,” she told The New York Times in June 2019, reflecting on her career evolution. “After shooting The Greatest Showman and Spider-Man, I went back to my Disney show, which is kind of like going to college and then having to go back and do the same grade over and over again. Not that I didn’t appreciate having a job. But it’s like you turn a switch on and do it, and then you get turned off and go home. I wanted more.” She also faced a steep learning curve, as Euphoria is a far cry from the family-friendly fare of her career beforehand. On the critically acclaimed show, she plays Rue Bennett, a 17-year-old recovering from drug addiction. “I was really nervous because I wanted to do well. It’s like going from nothing to everything — there were no steps in between,” she told the newspaper. “That’s why people think it’s such a stretch for me to play this character. There’s a lot of people who probably think I can’t do it because they don’t truly understand my personality. And I get it: I’m a Disney kid. There’s a lot to prove.” [jwplayer jqUTLdsf-l3ahXupL] Now she’s straddling two demographics, venturing into TV-MA content while still fielding job offers for “the corny stuff,” as she told the Times. “It’s cool,” she added. “I feel like I can do [Euphoria] and still have another world outside of it where I can do family movies and fun things like that. I’m trying to break the habit of using the F-word now because I use it so much as Rue, and in life. I’m about to go on tour for Spider-Man. It’s a wonderful family movie. I can’t be dropping F-bombs.” Zendaya put the naysayers in their place in September 2020 when she won an Emmy for her work on Euphoria. She wrote via Instagram that July that she was “speechless” when she learned she was up for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. “My heart is just overflowing with love and gratitude. I’m so incredibly honored to work beside the talented people that I get to call family. I am a small piece of a big beautiful puzzle and I’m so proud of all of you,” she continued. “Thank you to everyone out there who’s watched and given our show life, thank you @samlev00 @hbo @a24 for everything and @televisionacad for this beautiful acknowledgment, thank you, thank you, thank you. We out here Emmy nominated y’all!!” Scroll down to relive Zendaya’s life and career so far.

Credit: Kidz Bop

2009

After growing up in Oakland and appearing in productions at Oakland School for the Arts and the Berkeley Playhouse, Zendaya got national exposure as a featured performer in the Kidz Bop version of Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold.”

Credit: Piers Allardyce/Shutterstock

2010

The actress got her big break when Disney Channel cast her as Rocky Blue in Shake It Up, which became the channel’s second highest-rated premiere in December 2010.

Credit: Todd Williamson/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

2012

Zendaya’s small-screen film debut came with Disney Channel’s Frenemies, in which she played a teen locked in a “geek vs. chic” competition with Bella Thorne’s character.

Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

2013

The California native nearly reigned victorious in Dancing With the Stars’ 16th season, losing the mirrorball trophy to Kellie Pickler in the season finale.

Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock

2014

Zendaya returned to Disney Channel to play teen spy K.C. Cooper in the sitcom K.C. Undercover, later revealing she got the character’s name changed. (“Do I look like a Katy to you?” she told Vogue.)

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

2015

When Zendaya wore dreadlocks to the 87th Academy Awards, Fashion Police cohost Giuliana Rancic joked, “I feel like she smells like patchouli oil,” with another person adding, “Or weed!” Rancic later apologized, and Zendaya called it a “learning experience.”

Credit: Odette Martin/Shutterstock

2016

Zendaya finally hit the big screen in 2016 after Marvel cast her as Michelle in Spider-Man: Homecoming, a high school classmate of Peter Parker (Tom Holland).

Credit: MEGA

2017

Not only did Zendaya play trapeze artist Anne in 2017’s The Greatest Showman — with Zac Efron as her love interest — but she also contributed to the film’s soundtrack with her single “Rewrite the Stars.”

Credit: EliotPress/MEGA

2018

The actress’ career got another boost in 2018 when Tommy Hilfiger named her as the brand’s new global women’s ambassador and announced the Tommy x Zendaya capsule collection.

Credit: Courtesy of HBO

2019

Zendaya reached a new chapter of her filmography with the 2019 premiere of the HBO drama Euphoria. Less than a month after the racy show’s premiere, HBO greenlit a second season.

Credit: Uncredited/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

2020

Zendaya made history in September 2020 when she became the youngest person to ever win the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy for Euphoria. “This is pretty crazy,” she said in her acceptance speech. “To the incredible cast and crew of Euphoria, I’m so lucky to go to work with you every day, and I’m inspired by everything you do. … I know this feels like a really weird time to be celebrating, but I just want to say that there is hope in the young people.”

Credit: NETFLIX © 2021

2021

The Spider-Man: Far From Home actress starred in the first feature to be fully written, produced and filmed during the coronavirus pandemic, Malcolm & Marie. She defended her involvement in the project after backlash over her 12-year age difference with costar John David Washington, who portrayed her love interest. 

“I’ve played a 16-year-old since I was 16,” she told E!’s Daily Pop in January 2021. “You have to remember, also, people grew up with me as a child. It’s like watching, I guess, your younger sibling now, you know, they’re grown. … So, it’s hard for people to wrap around the idea that I am grown in real life. You know, even though I do play a teenager on television still.” 

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

2022

The actress received her second Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work on Euphoria. The series also earned a nod for Outstanding Drama Series, making Zendaya the youngest nominee for producing in the awards show's history.

"It's absolutely insane," she told Vanity Fair in July 2022. "The show obviously means so much to me and so much to everyone who makes it. People put their absolute heart and soul into this, and I am so lucky to share this with all of them. I've already talked to so many people on FaceTime, and I have a lot more texts to send out. But I am so proud of our team and the work we do together. I'm very, very proud."