Zendaya's Impact as a Young Producer: A New Voice in Film

It’s not uncommon for actors and actresses to eventually make their way into production. What is unusual, however, is when someone as young as Zendaya does it, and does it extremely well.

The 27-year-old Zendaya is now the youngest-ever producer to receive an Emmy Award nomination. She got this from her work in Euphoria, a television series where she also plays an on-screen role.

There’s no doubt that Zendaya is a natural talent. Her creativity and uniqueness will no doubt land her more producing projects, and likely more awards. But where did her journey as a producer begin? And where is it headed towards?

Before Euphoria, Zendaya was a Disney child, starring in multiple Disney television series. One of these was K.C. Undercover, where Zendaya played K.C. Cooper, a high-school student who also goes undercover as a spy.

The show ran for three seasons, and it was in that series that Zendaya got her first taste of production. While the exact details are unknown, it’s said that Zendaya produced a total of three episodes in Seasons 2 and 3.

Her work largely went under the radar, but this was no doubt an experience that Zendaya enjoyed since she would eventually return to producing later on.

Euphoria was a big turning point in Zendaya’s career. Gone was the Disney child, and in her place was a new character that explored deep topics like self-discovery, social dynamics, and existentialism, as well as a bunch of controversial topics like substance use.

Zendaya fit into her new role masterfully, winning Best Actress awards at the Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, and Critics’ Choice Television Awards.

For the second season, Zendaya got even more involved and began producing some of the episodes. While there’s no record of which episodes she helped produce, the second season of Euphoria is often described as “darker” and “more unsettling” than the first, and many people believe part of this fresh new narrative is thanks to Zendaya’s involvement.

Her work as executive producer for Euphoria gained her an Emmy Award nomination for Oustanding Drama Series, becoming the youngest ever person to receive that nomination.

While it’s confirmed that Euphoria will return for a third season, the release date is still way off in 2025. Whether Zendaya will once again play a role as a producer remains to be seen, but it’s highly likely that she will since she has also been producing the show’s specials.

What’s for sure though is that Zendaya is starting to go deeper into the role of producer. She’s going to star in Challengers, a romantic sports comedy-drama that’s set to release in 2024. But aside from starring in the film, she also played a big role as a co-producer as well.

Zendaya has also been given the role of producer for A White Lie way back in 2018. However, there has been no recent news about its release date, and whether or not it’s still being worked on.