Zendaya has come a long way since her Disney days. With her mature role in Euphoria, she's certainly redefined her public image — making her a more versatile actress on top of her style icon status. But although Disney has paved the way for these achievements, Zendaya didn't really have the best time there. For instance, her former co-star, Bella Thorne admitted they were pitted against each other. But it's more than that for the Spider-Man star. Her Disney stardom cost her her personal life. Here's everything she had to deal with back then.
Zendaya's Disney Career Split Up Her Family
Zendaya's family sacrificed a lot to get her into Hollywood. Her father quit his job as a teacher while her mom stayed in Oakland where she worked as a teacher and at the California Shakespeare Theater at night. "Those two jobs paid for all of our car trips back and forth for the year I was auditioning," she told Glamour. "Luckily I had parents who were like, 'You know what? We believe in you.'" Zendaya had to leave her mother behind when she finally landed her breakout role in Shake It Up, which caused her to move to Los Angeles full-time.
The Malcolm & Marie star also recalled it was tough dealing with some personal changes under that arrangement. "I got my first job on the Disney Channel when I was 13, and it was just me and my dad in an apartment in downtown L.A.," said the actress. "It was very difficult because I was dealing with all the pivotal girl moments. I remember getting my period and him not knowing what to do. It was a weird transitional phase."
Zendaya Struggled To Get Quality Education While Working In Disney
Zendaya's mother had to fight for her daughter's education while she was working as a young Disney actress. "My mom got her master’s in education. I think coming from a background in which education is so valued provided me with a sense of grounding," shared the actress. "In this industry, there are always opportunities for someone to say that education is peripheral. There have been times when a lawyer has said, 'All that’s required is that you’re provided with four walls and a human.' And it was like, 'Wait, but I actually want to excel in school.'"
One would think that being able to afford quality education would have made it easier. But not in Zendaya's case. "I remember some kids I knew would cheat their way through an online school program. They’d just look up the answers and type them in. That’s insane to me," Zendaya revealed. "It’s funny that you talk about lawyers, because my mom had to write letters to Disney lawyers to say, 'Listen, my daughter needs this teacher,' because I’d finally found someone who would work with me when I had press tours. In the car. On the plane. On the train. In the hotel room. She’d be like, 'Are you tired? I don’t care.'" The 25-year-old said she'd "never been so tired" but that it was worth it because she got all she needed.
Disney May Have Taken Away Zendaya's Passion For Singing
Disney may have had something to do with Zendaya not singing anymore. She used to sing the theme song for her show K.C. Undercover and had her debut album Replay at the age of 17. She was set to conquer the music industry. But according to the Euphoria star, her early experience might have ruined it for her. "I think the [music] industry takes a little bit of passion away from you," she told Paper. "It sucks you dry a little bit. What I thought I wanted, it's not what I want anymore, [especially] when I think about what I had to deal with in the music industry."
With her busy career, we get why she'd want to preserve that craft for herself. She added: "If anyone asks my number one advice, for [the entertainment] industry in general but mostly the music industry, it's look over those contracts, every single word, and don't sign anything that isn't worth it to you. You are worth more than they will say that you are." It could easily be a shade at Disney. After all, she fought for creative control for K.C. Undercover. "The only way I was going to come back to the Disney Channel was if I was in a position of more power," she once said in an interview.
Zendaya Experienced 'Racially Insensitive' Disney Sets
Zendaya has always used her platform to promote racial diversity and inclusion. And Disney was apparently a battlefield for her. In the past, she had encounters "on-set with people being racially insensitive." Although she didn't point to the channel, it isn't a secret that the actress dealt with those issues during her time there. "I didn't like my hair and makeup one time on a photoshoot," shared the actress. "And my publicist told me, 'You should just be happy with it — they haven't had a black girl on the cover since forever.' She's no longer my publicist." Now that's a queen move.
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