PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 06: Zendaya attends the "Dune" photocall At Le Grand Rex on September 06, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’ve all seen Zendaya kill it on the big and small screens, and it looks like the young talent now has her eyes set on the director’s chair.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While speaking with British Vogue for their October cover story, the 25-year-old Oakland native said she wants to expand her career in the film industry, and it looks like directing will be her next feat.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zendaya said she believes art itself is a “huge catalyst for change.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;If I ever do become a filmmaker, I know that the leads of my films will always be Black women,&#8221; Zendaya said. “I gotta hurry up and figure out how to f***ing become a director, man. I’m trying I’m learning every day, I really am. There’s so much I want to do.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Levinson, who directed Zendaya in the HBO show </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Euphoria</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and the Netflix film </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Malcolm &; Marie</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, has already given her high praise. He has faith in her directing abilities and believes that she will become “an astonishing filmmaker.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Directing has apparently been on Zendaya’s brain for some time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to <a href="https://people.com/movies/zendaya-hopes-to-become-a-director-the-leads-of-my-films-will-always-be-black-women/">People</a>, in a February interview with </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/21/movies/zendaya-malcolm-and-marie.html"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">The New York Times</span></i></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Zendaya touched on her aspirations to direct, telling the paper she would &#8220;love to be able to be a filmmaker&#8221; and that Levinson was already mentoring her.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Sam [Levinson] is always like, I give you a year until you&#8217;re directing something, and I&#8217;m like, all right, well, that means you got a year to teach me,&#8221; Zendaya said. &#8220;So I don&#8217;t know what that looks like personally, but I really enjoyed being a producer.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zendaya also emphasized the importance of representation on screen, telling the </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Times</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, &#8220;I enjoy this idea of hopefully one day being able to make the things that I want to see, the roles that I want to see for Black women. That would be exciting and a goal of mine.&#8221;</span></p>
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