Zendaya Discusses Child Stardom and Wanting Children in Recent Interview 

In a recent interview with British Vogue, Zendaya disclosed that she wishes she had attended school as a child star. “I’m very tense, and I think that I carry that from being a kid and never really having an opportunity to just try shit. And I wish I went to school,” the actress told the magazine in her cover interview.

Ahead of her upcoming film Challengers, Zendaya posed for the cover of both American and British Vogue. On the cover of the British edition, the actress donned an Adidas Originals by Wales Bonner track set along with jewels from Bulgari. The tennis-inspired look channels the character she is about to portray on the silver screen: former tennis player turned coach Tashi Duncan. 

During the interview, Zendaya discusses the process of learning to play tennis during her preparation for the role and how it involved lots of trial and error. “Everything became shadowing," said the actress. However, as per the article, the actress eventually learned to pull off a convincing performance and, according to her co-star Josh O'Connor, "looked like a pro." 

The interview eventually pivoted to what Zendaya would have pursued if acting didn't work out, which was when she brought up her lack of choice in the matter, stating that being a child star and being thrust into the industry at such a young age prompted her to grow into a lot of adult responsibilities.

"I was becoming the breadwinner of my family very early, and there was a lot of role-reversal happening and just kind of becoming grown, really,” the actress told British Vogue. 

The Challengers actress then went on to say that traditional schooling would have allowed for more self-exploration. Earlier in the interview, the actress mentions the irony of her never attending a traditional school as she frequently plays characters who are in high school, notably Rue in the HBO Max series Euphoria. Now that she's broken away from the trope of playing a high school-aged girl, the actress said that she hopes to now be seen as someone who's her own age, as she's now at the stage of her life where her peers are having children. 

While the actress states that she isn't in a rush, she too plans to have children and is already experiencing the joy of children through aunt-hood, as the actress has multiple nieces and nephews. As far as the public knows, Zendaya and her boyfriend, actor and Spiderman co-star Tom Holland, have only been dating since 2021. And with her uber-successful career, it makes sense that children aren't currently on the cards for the actress. Nevertheless, for those who are ardent fans of Zendaya and have grown up with her and her characters, the tidbit about the actress wanting a family is exciting and heartwarming.