She may still be a teenager, but super star Zendaya Coleman is on a roll when it comes to her skyrocketing career.
‘The only way I was going to come back to the Disney Channel was if I was in a position of more power,’ the actress told Cosmopolitan.
The actress added that she was keen to see more diversity on Disney.
‘One thing that is really important to me is diversity on the channel. It’s hard as a young person of a different ethnicity or background to look at the TV and not see anyone who looks like you.
‘Representation is very important,’ she said.
Zendaya also discussed a racially insensitive moment she experienced when speaking with a publicist at some point in her career.
Recalling the conversation, Zendaya told the magazine the publicist advised her to ‘be happy’ with a hairstyle she disliked during a pH๏τo shoot as ‘they haven’t had a black girl on the cover since forever.’
‘She’s no longer my publicist,’ the teen added of the matter.
Zendaya starred opposite Bella Thorne on Disney’s Shake It Up! from 2010 to 2013, and she also had a leading role in the network’s 2014 TV movie, Zapped.
She returned in 2015 to star in and co-produce KC Undercover, which follows the antics of a technology wiz whose parents are also spies.
Zendaya oozes confidence and Sєx appeal on the cover of the glossy magazine, where she kicks up her leg while reaching down for her red stiletto heels.
The actress also wears a slinky pink and canary yellow dress with a low neckline, flashing a hint of her cleavage.
Zendaya, who in the past had been linked to NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. (who now seems to be with Khloe Kardashian), also shared her thoughts on love and romance.
‘I would much rather be in love and have the full experience with the person I’m doing that with. Everyone deserves to be in love—it’s different from when you’re with someone you don’t really know!’ she said.
Zendaya, meanwhile, continues to shine in the acting realm.
The star confirmed during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she would star in the next Spider-Man film.
‘When it comes to the acting space, I’m basically unknown. I’ve never been in a real movie before or anything like that, so I had to start from the bottom like anyone else,’ she explained.
‘I auditioned and auditioned and auditioned and [broke] down those walls because a lot of people do have that pre-conceived notion of who I am based off previous things I’ve done, so you got to really break that down and go hard, put in the work, take all the meetings, take all the auditions.’