Zendaya “If people know your name, they should know it for a reason.”

Icon-in-the-making Zendaya sits down with her friend and female force Yara Shahidi to speak her truth.

One of the first times I met Zendaya was at the 2015 Radio Disney Music Awards, which she was hosting. Although my show Black-ish had only aired for one season – we didn’t even know if we’d be renewed – she bounded over and said excitedly, “Man, I really appreciate the work you’re doing.”

Zendaya was only 18 at the time, the same age I will turn in a few months, and she was already a bona fide superstar, having appeared in nearly a dozen films and shorts, released an album of hits, and ridden the success of the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up into producing and starring in KC Undercover, about a black family of spies.

Zendaya has always been clear about the importance of speaking her mind. When executives originally suggested the show be called Super Awesome Katy, she told them the title was “whack”. She asked, “Do I look like a Katy to you?” (They made her character’s name KC instead.) And she knows her value. She’s one of the youngest Disney Channel producers ever. She is a young woman on a mission!

Zendaya is like a big sister to me. And we have a lot in common. On season two of Black-ish, she guest starred as Resheida, the poster girl for a made-up holiday. Being thought of as a poster girl in any situation is a double-edged sword. Personally, as a young black actress, I’m happy when people see themselves reflected in my work, and that I’m able to tell those narratives. But it has never been – and will never be – either of our intentions to be the only versions of ‘blackness’ in the world of entertainment.

What I love about my friend Zendaya is that you can’t categorise her. She’s a true creative. In her acting world, no two characters are the same. And as an entrepreneur, ridiculously fierce dancer and musician, she is focusedand driven.

I’ve watched her Lip Sync Battle the rendition of Bruno Mars’ ‘24K Magic’ a few times. That was not Bruno! That was Zendaya! And then there’s the fact that she tackled trapeze artistry for her new movie The Greatest Showman, the reimagining of the life of PT Barnum which also stars Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron. She told me her thoughtwas, “Trapeze? Yeah, I’m gonna do that.”

There is a misconception in this industry that everybody who looks like you, or may, at first, seem like you, must be your competition. What I deeply respect about Zendaya is that she’s actively helping to dismantle that myth. She’s showing young women how to speak our minds, stand up for our peers and give love to the global community of women.

Because, at the most basic level, we need diversity in representation to reflect the society we live in – a variety of characters who show the true range of our experiences as women. Zendaya is doing that.

She is dedicated to showing young people that they are meant to be seen and counted. And that they are never, ever just one thing. That is no small feat. I am honoured to know her, and excited for you all to get to know her better.

YARA Let’s take it all the way back. How did you end up moving to Los Angeles to act while still at school?

ZENDAYA I was basically like, “I want to do this,” and my dad [Kazembe Coleman] quit his job as a teacher to make it happen. My mom [Claire Stoermer] stayed in Oakland where she had two jobs: teaching and working at the California Shakespeare Theater. Those jobs paid for car trips back and forth for the year I auditioned. Luckily my parents were like, “You know what? We believe in you.”

When I was 13, I got my first job on the Disney Channel. It was just me and my dad in an apartment in downtown LA. 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.

I feel everybody in our industry goes through transition. When

Black-ish started, I tried to do the first season while going to high school full-time. So difficult. Yeah, but my mom got her master’s in education and coming from a background where education is valued gave me a grounding. In this industry there are people who say 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.”

See, that’s always the thing. I remember some kids I knew cheating their way through an online school programme. They’d just look up the answers and type them in. That’s insane to me. 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 was on 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.” I remember doing Dancing With the Stars and falling

“A lot of people who aren ’ t people of colour can’t understand what it’s like to not see yourself in mainstream media.”

asleep reading a book. I’d never been so tired in my life – there’s no off time. But she stuck with me and made sure I got what I needed.

Your mom did two jobs to help you achieve your dreams. What does this powered-by-women issue mean to you? The most important thing I’ve learnt from my mom is selflessness. She taught in underprivileged communities for 20 years; she worked hard for her students to have experiences like outdoor science camps. There are students who will tell you, “Without Ms Stoermer, I don’t know where I’d be.”

Our generation has a lot going on right now from North Korea threatening war to the Charlottesville protests. Here’s the thing – I can genuinely say that I’m not the same person I was a year ago. As my social platforms grew, I realised that my voice was much more important than I had originally thought. I think if every young person understood the power of their voice, things would be a lot different. And it’s becoming more popular to be outspoken.

I know. It no longer feels like an option not to be active. We can’t ignore what’s happening. It’s also forced us to segue into being a little more hopeful. You and I have been lucky to meet some cool people. What other women inspire you? There’s definitely a long list. I’m inspired right now by people who use their platforms. If people know your name, they should know it for a reason. I’m obsessed with Oprah. Even with everything stacked against her, she soared to unbelievable heights. If she wants to create a network, she can do it. But also there’s this level of realness to her. You feel like she’s your auntie. You’ve described yourself as the love child of Oprah, Shonda Rhimes and Beyoncé. Let’s go into Shonda… I mean, Shonda – she saw something nobody else was doing and said, “I’m going to create it myself. I’m going to put strong, powerful women of colour in lead roles and create narratives for different types of people.” And she owns a day. She owns Thursdays.

It’s hers. Don’t even come for her. Beyoncé took it to the next level with Lemonade. She’s a mother and she’s killing it. And Michelle Obama, because that is an intelligent woman.

She’s the forty-sixth US president that I recognise. She’s my president. Who is going to convince her to run? It’s inspiring to see a woman of colour in such a prominent position. What you did with KC Undercover was also huge for me. It’s inspired me to do the same. What would you say gave you that confidence? I didn’t feel like there was any other choice. I was like, “If I’m going to do this, this is how it has to be.” There needs to be a black family on the Disney Channel. A lot of people who aren’t people of colour can’t quite understand what it’s like to grow up and not see yourself represented in mainstream media.

And you know, there is so much work left to be done. Can I honestly say I would be in the position I’m in if I weren’t a lighter-skinned black woman? No.

I constantly say that my goal is not to be the face of black girls. The goal is to open the door so widely that I’m drowning in a sea of – In a sea of black girls. Absolutely. I shouldn’t be the ‘accessible’ version of a black girl. That doesn’t allow people to fully appreciate their heritage. I’m half black, half Iranian and I’ve never seen that description of a character in a script. There’s more to do. Boom! Let’s kick these doors open.

I wanted to ask about your clothing line, Daya by Zendaya. I love that you’re an entrepreneur and you’ve created a brand that doesn’t say, “This is for a girl; this is for a boy.” That’s the future of fashion, right? I was lucky to have parents who let me wear what I wanted to wear and shop where I wanted to shop. Nine times out of 10 I was shopping in the boys’ section. I wore cargo shorts and hoodies. That was my uniform. And it’s different being a girl. We can wear guys’ clothes, but the second a guy wears girls’ clothes, it’s like –

“What is he doing?” That’s not fair. For me it’s all about the shopper’s experience. For example, my sister just had a baby – why should she go to a different section to get clothes just because she’s a curvier woman?

How has the statement that ‘Everything is available to all of you’ influenced your approach to red-carpet fashion? I think it’s the same thing. A huge part of my gaining confidence is because of fashion. What I love about someone like Rihanna is her fearlessness. When she wears a dress, it’s for herself, and you can see that. There’s something to be said for the fact that literally everybody can hate my outfit, but if I feel good in it, I’m the only one that should matter.

So what’s next for you? There’s a lot I want to do in the movie world. Having a Disney past sometimes makes it difficult for people to take you seriously, so I have to pick the right projects, make sure I do the right things, take my time. And then I want to produce and create shows and movies, whether or not I’m starring in them. You know when you watch a show and you’re like, “That’s so good. I wish I’d made it?” Why not? Why not make it? Wild idea, I know.

“Can I honestly say I would be in the position I’m in if I weren ’ t a lighter- skinned black woman?”