Zendaya’s 11 best movies and TV shows, ranked: ‘Euphoria,’ ‘Challengers’ …
Born September 1, 1996, Zendaya rose to fame as a child star on the Disney Channel, with fan-favorite characters in “Shake It Up” and “K.C. Undercover.” The singer and actress soon started dabbling in feature films, where she earned the plum role of MJ, Tom Holland‘s love interest, in Marvel’s “Spider-Man” movies. Zendaya’s biggest claim to fame was in 2020, when she became the youngest-ever Emmy winner in the Best Drama Actress category for playing a teen drug addict on “Euphoria.” Her career continues to blossom thanks to recent releases like “Challengers” (directed by Luca Guadagnino) and “Dune” (directed by Denis Villeneuve).
Explore our photo gallery above (or click here for direct access) to see the 11 best Zendaya movies and TV shows, ranked. Does your #1 choice match ours?
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11. ‘Shake It Up’ (2010-13)
This Disney Channel series marked the first major on-screen appearance for the then-13-year-old actress. Zendaya takes on the role Rocky Blue, best friend of CeCe Jones (Bella Thorne), who both aspire to become professional dancers in Chicago.
10. ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ (2021)
Lebron James stars in this sequel to the original “Space Jam” movie from 1996, replacing pro basketball athlete Michael Jordan. Once again, the human characters can interact with classic Looney Tunes characters, with Zendaya providing the voice of Lola Bunny. She accepted the role because she was such a fan of the first movie, and she had been itching to work with Ryan Coogler, who producer the sequel.
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9. ‘Smallfoot’ (2018)
Since Zendaya is known for her beautiful vocals, it was only a matter of time before she was asked to deliver a voice-over performance in a big-budget animated film. She plays Meechee in Warner Brothers’ “Smallfoot,” a Yeti girl who’s the daughter of Stonekeeper (Common) and the love interest of Migo (Channing Tatum).
8. ‘K.C. Undercover’ (2015-18)
Zendaya returned to the Disney Channel in 2015 with “K.C. Undercover,” not just as an actress, but also as a co-producer. She portrays high school student K.C. Cooper, a smarty-pants who gets recruited into working as an undercover spy, just like her parents. The show lasted for three seasons.
7. ‘The OA’ (2019)
Zendaya plays Fola Uzaki, a mysterious gamer, in three episodes of the Netflix series’ second season. Karim (Kingsley Ben-Adir) discovers her unconscious within the labyrinthine of a magical house and saves her life, later visiting her in the hospital. The cult sci-fi show was cancelled after Season 2.
6. ‘The Greatest Showman’ (2017)
Zendaya had fun flying through the air in this musical, as she portrayed an acrobat named Anne Wheeler. This trapeze artist soon finds herself in a loving relationship with playwright Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron), which angers his racist parents. Zendaya gets to show off her musical chops on the soundtrack for the songs “The Greatest Show,” “Come Alive” and “Rewrite the Stars.”
5. ‘Spider-Man’ (2017, 2019 and 2021)
Zendaya’s first appearance as Michelle “MJ” Jones came in the 2017 film “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” The actress really plays up her high school character’s awkward intelligence during her few scenes. Note that MJ is simply friends with Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in this film, but the 2019 sequel “Spider-Man: Far From Home” explores their relationship further. She returns again in 2021’s blockbuster edition “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
4. ‘Malcolm & Marie’ (2021)
Director Sam Levinson’s black-and-white Netflix film was singled out for the way it served as a two-hander between Zendaya and John David Washington. They play a Hollywood couple who anxiously await word on what the critics think of his latest movie.
3. ‘Dune’ (2021 and 2024)
Zendaya’s role of Chani, the mysterious love interest of Timothee Chalamet’s Paul, was briefly introduced in “Dune: Part One” (2021) before having a much bigger impact in “Dune: Part Two” (2024). Director Denis Villeneuve was so impressed with her fine-tuned approach to acting that he said he could see her directing her own projects one day.
2. ‘Challengers’ (2024)
Zendaya plays tennis pro Tashi Donaldson, who finds herself in a love triangle with Mike Faist’s Art Donaldson and Josh O’Connor’s Patrick Zweig, in Luca Guadagnino’s erotic sports dramedy. The film enraptured audiences and is expected to be a major player at several awards shows during the upcoming 2024-25 season.
1. ‘Euphoria’ (2019-present)
HBO’s drama series about Rue Bennett, a teen drug addict, captured our imagination and catapulted Zendaya from a Disney star to a full-fledged actress. The Emmys agreed. In 2020, she became the youngest-ever winner of the Best Drama Actress category. She was 24 when she claimed the prize, just two years younger than the previous record-holder, Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”). Zendaya won a second Emmy Award for Season 2 in 2022.
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