Zendaya: Less Movie Star, More ‘Movies in Theaters’

While the term has lost a bit of its luster since the days of Clark Gable and Rita Hayworth, the idea of the “movie star” is still alive and well in modern figures like Zendaya. However, despite her glowing presence on red carpets, as well as major films big and small, the multi-hyphenate talent is pushing against the label. Speaking in a recent interview for Vanity Fair’s Hollywood Issue, Zendaya focuses on how she can use her stature to maintain legacy elements of entertainment.

“Obviously, the landscape has changed. Our industry is different with streaming and social media. I don’t really necessarily try to think about that aspect too much,” Zendaya said of being considered a huge star. “What I do think about is something that I think is important: trying to keep movies in theaters.”

For Zendaya, this mission isn’t only related to having her work seen in the best format possible, but also keeping the exhibition business alive. She also holds a fondness for the space theaters create.

“There’s a lot of people whose job it is to work at a movie theater. And there’s a lot of smaller, family-owned theaters all over the place that we want to still exist,” said Zendaya. “I think there’s something so special about going to a movie theater and experiencing a film in that way, with a group of strangers. I grew up spending all day at the movie theater. That’s all there was to do in the early 2000s after school. You’re just like, ‘I’ll meet you at the movies. Let’s go see whatever’s out.'”

In this sense, all the work associated with being a movie star, to her, is just a means of protecting an institution.

“What I try to focus on — still being able to have that moviegoing experience for people and keep that going,” Zendaya said to Vanity Fair. “With that comes, ‘Okay, well, we’ve got to do a lot of press then. We’re going to have to wear some intense fits to get people to go.'”