Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler, and director Denis Villeneuve answered fan questions during a recent screening event for ‘Dune: Part Two’ in New York City.
When asked about the parallels between the cult-like followings in the movie and the way celebrity culture works today, the actress opened up about her own struggles with fame.
“I feel like, often, I am not cut out for that part of it,” she shared about the pressure (per Deadline). “I do love my job; I’m so grateful. I love doing the work, I love being on set, I do love moments like this—don’t get me wrong—but I am terrified of that part of it, often.”
“I was a shy kid, always have been, and so this part isn’t natural—that is a huge reason why fashion became important to me because it became like armor, allowing me to pretend to go out and do the job.”
Zendaya talked about her discomfort with fame in other interviews, as well. She particularly mentioned her ‘complicated feelings’ about being a child star and its lasting effects in an interview with Vogue earlier this year.
“I don’t know how much of a choice I had,” the ‘Euphoria’ star said, reflecting on her goals growing up. “I have complicated feelings about kids and fame and being in the public eye, or being a child actor. We’ve seen a lot of cases of it being detrimental…And I think only now, as an adult, am I starting to go, ‘Oh, okay, wait a minute: I’ve only ever done what I’ve known, and this is all I’ve known.’”
She went on, “I’m almost going through my angsty teenager phase now because I didn’t really have the time to do it before. I felt like I was thrust into a very adult position: I was becoming the breadwinner of my family very early, and there was a lot of role-reversal happening, and just kind of becoming grown, really.”
The actress also shared how refreshing it was to move away from high schooler roles and play a more mature role in ‘Challengers.’
