Head to a movie theater this year, and you’re likely to stumble upon Zendaya.
The actor is primed to have her biggest year ever, beginning with the one-two punch of her hit rom-com The Drama and Euphoria’s long-awaited third season. In July, she’ll be seen in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and the next installment in the Spider-Man franchise, Brand New Day. And then in December, she’ll head back to Arrakis for Dune: Part Three.
Whether she’s playing Rue, Athena, MJ, or Chani, or simply stepping onto a red carpet in another breathtaking ensemble, Zendaya has become a rare example of a true A-list movie star for her generation.
On this week’s episode of Little Gold Men, the team takes a closer look at her rise to stardom, from starting out on Disney Channel to transitioning to more mature roles with Euphoria and Challengers. She’s had box office success with franchises, and now, with the success of The Drama (the A24 film has earned $96 million worldwide so far), she’s proven that she herself is just as much of a box office draw. “A lot of movie stars, there’s an indelible quality that just draws you to them,” says Vanity Fair’s Chris Murphy.
Zendaya has charisma and talent, but her success is also due, in part, to the way she supports her movies. “Her ability to promote films is unmatched,” says Little Gold Men cohost John Ross. Her red-carpet appearances are always an event, thanks to her long-term partnership with stylist Law Roach. The pair has perfected Method dressing, which sees an actor select their red-carpet outfits based on the themes of their film. For this most recent tour to promote The Drama, Zendaya wore various looks inspired by a classic wedding rhyme: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”
VF style correspondent José Criales-Unzueta credits Roach for his ability to create a narrative for Zendaya through Method dressing: “He always does it in a way that doesn’t feel too on the nose. A lot of other actors that do this sort of lean a little too hard into the character, and then…they end up looking like the character.”
To find out more about how Zendaya has savvily managed her career—and the ways she’s protected her relationship with Tom Holland (are they married or not??)—take a listen to the latest episode of Little Gold Men below:
