Zendaya

Personal context

Summary

Actress and producer who rose from Disney's Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover to Euphoria, the Spider-Man films, Dune, Challengers, and Malcolm & Marie. For more than a decade she has treated racial representation as part of her public role: she pushed for a black family on K.C. Undercover, has said she asks to be put up for parts written as white, often discusses light-skinned privilege and making space for other black women, and staged a 2019 Tommy Hilfiger runway with an all-Black, size- and age-inclusive cast because black women are not always represented. She identifies as an intersectional feminist, has said feminism must include trans women, and received GLSEN's 2017 Gamechanger Award for social-justice advocacy. She attended the 2017 Women's March, spoke after Charlottesville and police killings, joined 2020 George Floyd protests, lent her Instagram to Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, and posted Vote this mf out against Donald Trump. She has also declined the activist label, calling herself an actress in the bleachers rather than on the field. Her highest-profile film roles rarely center race or identity politics, and her later public profile has been more movie star than campaigner.