L'ÉPOQUE - The ‘it girl’ of the decade enters the ballroom at the chi-chi Maybourne Hotel, Beverly Hills, like a ray of sunshine on a foggy Los Angeles morning. It’s not just Zendaya’s perfectly balanced features, her on-point fashion, nor her model-slim figure that makes one gawk; it's her expression.
05.13.2024 © L'ÉPOQUE USA
By Margaret Gardiner
The chocolate gaze excitedly scans the room registering the cameras filming her every move, making eye contact with, rather than glancing over or avoiding the hoard of international journalists gathered to question her for her role in Challengers as both a producer and actress. There’s intelligence, a willingness to engage, and a curiosity that’s surprising given the relentless attention she has received in the last eight years.
She eases into the director’s chair crossing slim thighs revealed between the hem of an elegant navy mini with white trim, and pointy-toed Louboutin stilettos, her posture erect. Her honey blonde hair is pulled into a Barbarella high-ponytail at the crown that falls below her shoulders in loose curls. She sports a French manicure and shares a Mona Lisa smile.
In the seven years since I first met her for Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), her innate intelligence is the staple trait as the world has grown obsessed with the woman known as ‘Z’ to her friends. Her instagram account has mushroomed from an impressive 45 million with the release of her first Marvel Comics’ film, to its current 185 million followers - and growing. In total I’ve interviewed the native of Oakland, California, five times in the intervening years. It’s fascinating to see how the seeds that were sewn in our first conversations have blossomed. While many child stars crash and burn, even at 21 Zendaya seemed to be in control of her destiny, rather than having fame as her jockey.
