Zendaya Opened Up About Navigating "Boundaries" With Her Fans

They're mostly respectful.

 Zendaya attends the Valentino Womenswear Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 06, 2022 in Paris, France
(Image credit: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)

With ultra-visible roles on Euphoria, Spider-Man, Dune, Malcom & Marie, and Space Jam, Zendaya is officially an A-lister, and has been for some time now.

But the star was an actress long before she became a universally recognized public figure—having kickstarted her career on the Disney Channel's Shake It Up alongside Bella Thorne.

For her, that period of fame before the Fame was a blessing, because she was able to learn how to navigate that part of her life slowly and, according to her, pretty successfully.

Zendaya opened up about it all in her latest cover interview with Vogue Italia.

"Recently I've had more of a change happening in regards to reactions when I meet people or how people interact with me on a daily basis, because for so long I've been able to maintain a little bit of anonymity in a way where I could go off and do things and still live a pretty normal life," she said.

"Of course it comes with new sets of challenges and pressures, but I've been doing this for a long time, and I started when I was quite young. So thankfully I’ve had a little bit of time to ease and grow my experience in a way that wasn't just completely an overnight change.

"I'm always adjusting to it and trying to be grateful for it all in the end, because it means that people are clearly resonating with the work that I'm doing, and that means a lot to me."

She also explained that, overall, her fans are really respectful of the boundaries she has set to keep some parts of her life to herself.

"Many of them have grown with me and have watched me evolve in different parts of my life and career and with that, many of us being around the same age, have similar outlooks on life, similar thoughts or even just hopes and wishes for the future, whether it be for my career or the world," she said.

"They’re really understanding that I’m human, even the hardcore ones, and they want me to be happy and I genuinely feel that from them. They're really respectful of my boundaries and the things that I choose to keep a little bit more private and keep for myself."

Super happy for her!

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.