Zendaya on the 'heavy responsibility' of being a young, Black woman in Hollywood

Hollywood’s crowd-favourite diva Zendaya is not just a stunner on screens but the actor is also proving to be a major voice for social issues.

The star sat down for Hollywood Reporter’s round table interview with other A-listers including Jennifer Aniston, Helena Bonham Carter, Rose Byrne, Reese Witherspoon and Janelle Monáe.

During the course of the discussion, the Spider-Man actor touched upon the topic of racism and the pressure she feels of being a young, black woman in Hollywood.

“I have a heavy responsibility on my shoulders, but I’m appreciative for that because with that there’s a lot of good that I can do and I know who is watching,” she said.

“Now more than ever, specifically with Black Lives Matter and everything, I feel an obligation to make sure that I’m aware and putting out the right things and in line with organizers and people who are on the ground,” she added.

Speaking about her next move career-wise as she joined the cast of HBO’s Euphoria, she said: “I think, like a lot of artists, I’m my biggest critic, so some of it was internal — not wanting to make a mistake or worrying that maybe I didn’t have the room to make a mistake and wanting to make the right next move. But I also wanted to prove myself.”

“When Euphoria came along, I was very grateful because all those fears melted away and I felt like it was something that I had to be a part of. So the fear became just, like, push yourself. If you go to work and you’re scared, that’s a good thing. You should be worried about whether you can do it,” she added.