Denis Villeneuve makes bold prediction about Zendaya
Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve has discussed his experience of working with Zendaya on the science-fiction franchise and shared a strong prediction about her career.
Zendaya has spent the majority of her life locked in the entertainment industry, rising to prominence with a role in the teenage sitcom Shake It Up on the Disney Channel in 2010. However, Dune has helped establish the actor as an undisputed A-lister, who has the world at her feet, and Villeneuve believes she could follow in his footsteps as a director.
The filmmaker made the comments during a conversation with Hollywood royalty Steven Spielberg in a special Q&A event at the DGA in Los Angeles.
At one stage in the conversation, Spielberg poised to Villeneuve, “Were there any actors on your film will be directors that were kind of like on your shoulder, wanting to see through the lens and really curious about how you were styling your shots?”
In response, Villeneuve said: “In truth, there was one that spent a lot of time, there’s someone that spent a lot of time behind the camera, listening, listening and it’s Zendaya.”
He continued: “She’s so clever, she is brilliant and such a strong presence. She was always on set. Even when she wasn’t shooting scenes, just sitting between Greig (Fraser) and I and listening. I would not be surprised, that’s one thing we learned was that she wants to go behind the (camera).”
While Zendaya is yet to realise her ambitions to become a filmmaker, she has previously publicly spoken of her plans to one day step into the director’s chair. The Dune star told Elle in 2023: “[I want to] direct one day. To direct a film, hopefully more than just one, but just doing it. The first step to actually doing something yourself is not an easy step to take, so hopefully I can get over the fear.”
Furthermore, in 2021, Zendaya also hinted at making the switch from actor to director and revealed she’d make sure Black women were at the forefront of any of her productions.
“If I ever do become a filmmaker, I know that the leads of my films will always be black women. I gotta hurry up and figure out how to fucking become a director, man. I’m trying, I’m learning every day, I really am. There’s so much I want to do,” Zendaya told Vogue.
As of yet, Zendaya is still learning from masters of the craft such as Villeneuve and is also set to star in Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming movie Challengers, set for release on April 26th. However, working with directors such as those two talents will only help Zendaya once she finally becomes a director.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, it was revealed Zendaya will now unexpectedly have time on her hands after the third season of Euphoria was postponed. Talent have been told to look for other projects while creator Sam Levinson makes changes to the script.
A HBO spokesperson said of the decision: “HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season. In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.