Why 2026 is the year of Zendaya

With the return of Euphoria and four blockbuster movies hitting cinemas, how the actress became one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars

https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/zendaya-movies-the-drama-dune-36vtgztbt

https://archive.ph/KJKNv


Zendaya stars opposite Robert Pattinson in The Drama as a bride-to-be whose wedding week is rocked by a disturbing revelation
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‘I just hope people don’t get sick of me,' Zendaya said with a giggle as she answered questions before the release of the provocative indie film, The Drama. The actress referred to her mind-boggling schedule this year, which sees her star in four movies as well as HBO’s popular teen drama Euphoria. By any standard, it’s an ambitious undertaking. In politics it would be called flooding the zone. But in Hollywood, Zendaya’s heavy slate signifies what a sure bet the 29-year-old has become — particularly with Gen Z — who now make up the largest share of cinemagoers in America.

As audiences fragment and true Hollywood stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio or Tom Cruise feel vanishingly rare, how has Zendaya managed to pull this off? She caught the acting bug aged eight when her mother took on a second job at the California Shakespeare Theater and brought her daughter along to watch the shows backstage. She later enrolled in a local specialist public school, Oakland School for the Arts. Zendaya then convinced her parents — school teachers Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu Coleman — to move to Los Angeles so she could pursue her Hollywood dreams.


Zendaya with her parents in 2013
BILL MCCAY/GETTY IMAGES

Many of her fans grew up alongside her after she started her career as a child star on the Disney Channel. Her big break came when she was 14-years-old and cast as a co-lead in the sitcom Shake It Up. Although she soared to fame in numerous TV shows and movies, the turning point in her career was her starring performance in 2024’s surprise hit Challengers. The movie grossed almost $100 million worldwide, far in excess of its $55 million budget, and well beyond expectations for an R-rated film about a toxic love triangle on the professional tennis circuit. Challengers proved she could carry a movie and made Zendaya one of the most sought after actresses of her generation.


Zendaya as Rocky Blue on Shake It Up
CRAIG SJODIN/DISNEY CHANNEL/GETTY IMAGES

She returns to the big screen with The Drama, which is released in cinemas on Friday, and sees her star opposite Robert Pattinson as a bride-to-be whose wedding week is rocked by a disturbing revelation. Zendaya follows that with season three of Euphoria where, according to Puck, she’s being paid close to $1 million per episode. After, she will feature in Chrisopher Nolan’s star-packed $250 million blockbuster, The Odyssey, as the goddess, Athena. His adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic is slated for release in July, the same month she’ll reprise her role as MJ in a new Spider-Man film alongside her fiancé, or perhaps husband if the rumours are to be believed, Tom Holland. The last Spider-Man movie starring the couple was the highest grossing movie of 2021.


Zendaya with Robert Pattinson at The Drama premiere in LA last month
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

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The Drama | Official Trailer HD | A24


From writer/director Kristoffer Borgli and starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. THE DRAMA – Save the date April 3.

RELEASE DATE: April 3
DIRECTOR: Kristoffer Borgli
CAST: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson

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