The 2015 role Zendaya auditioned for “over and over” but still didn’t get
Zendaya is one of those actors you can never quite predict is going to do next.
It seemed like only yesterday she was the teen idol of Disney, destined for a life of child star, cheap labour and the never-ending struggle to prove herself among the trenches of the film business. But now, you can’t miss her, for every film you see, and pop culture moment you consume right now, it seems like she’s somehow involved.
In no uncertain terms, this has been nothing short of a stellar year for Zendaya. Between romantic turmoil in The Drama and the epic, sprawling heights of The Odyssey, it would come across as though every role she ever wants, she gets. This unquestionably cements her as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars, but even not so long ago, back where things all began for Zendaya, she seemed to fall at the first hurdle.
The Disney Channel was where she achieved her first breakthrough, fronting shows like Shake It Up, but surprisingly enough, the rising starlet was not the right fit for one of their own biggest movie franchises.
Those who were not children within the specific age of the 2010s understandably may not be too familiar with Descendants, the 2015 TV movie which charted the teenage lives of the kids of Disney villains, including Maleficent and Cruella de Vil. It was a slightly feverish concept at the best of times, but one that the Disney Channel very much dined out on.
It didn’t particularly matter that there were plot holes and the story was weak. The market was there, combining Disney elements of new and old, and it became a bona fide hit, launching the career of Dove Cameron, as well as a litany of young actors; however, Zendaya was the notable, absent exception.
That wasn’t out of a lack of trying, the casting director, Cornelia Frame, later revealed. “Zendaya did audition many times for Descendants, and that was a big deal,” she said in a 2024 podcast interview. “It was a really big deal that she auditioned over and over. She really wanted it, and it just ended up not going her way.”
Of course, every actor is familiar with that disheartening state of affairs. You can pour your heart and soul into something, but if the powers that be just don’t like what they see, it’s not going to land you in front of the camera. It’s just funny to think that a Disney Channel role was what Zendaya was sweating over a decade ago, compared to where she is now.
If she could flash forward in time and see herself on the big screen, working with prolific directors from Christopher Nolan to Denis Villeneuve and many besides, she maybe wouldn’t have worried so much, but it just proves one thing: that no matter how big or small the role, the nerves of an actor are always on edge.
