How Zendaya Dodged The "Disney Curse"

Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, born on September 1, 1996 in Oakland, California, was among the 200 girls who auditioned for Disney Channel’s "Shake It Up" in 2009. She got the part, and the rest was history.

But not quite. Disney’s success is due in part to their masterful storytelling, which extends beyond the screen and into the daily lives of their actors. This means that their stars need to uphold an image that fits with the narrative Disney has created around their brand. In other words, extensive media training and binding legal restrictions – particularly for their child stars. But as is the case with all children, attempts to control them result in resentment and rebellion later in life. When looking back on Miley Cyrus’s release from her Disney contract, it’s not hard to see the urgency with which she wanted to change her public perception. Several shockingly provocative performances later, and it’s safe to say that Miley succeeded in creating a name for herself outside of Disney. 

By contrast, Zendaya remains one of the only stars who was able to move on from Disney without sacrificing her personal image. In 2018, she opened up about her perfectionism and fear of making the wrong decisions. "What my white peers would be able to get away with at this point in their career is not something that I will be able to do." This mindset explains a lot about the calculated risks Zendaya chose to take with her career. Instead of rushing to grow up, Zendaya took her time. Her breakout film roles included MJ in Spiderman: Homecoming and Anne Wheeler in The Greatest Showman, both in 2017. These films weren’t explicitly mature but introduced her to a slightly wider audience. 

Many stars have opened up about the negative experiences they’ve had with Disney, but Zendaya has never had a bad word to say about the company that launched her career. She’s always expressed gratitude for the opportunities that Disney provided her, even going so far as to embrace her status as a "Disney kid". Because she never felt the urge to rush her growth and leave her Disney days behind, she managed to keep her personal life private and express her maturity through her craft. By doing this, Zendaya has redefined what a post-Disney career can look like for future generations.

You can currently catch Zendaya in theatres in the A24 film The Drama and on TV screens in the third and final season of HBO Max's "Euphoria".