Charisma or Craft? Fans Clash Over Zendaya’s Hollywood Career

Zendaya is back on the docket. Not a scandal, just the internet arguing about whether she is a movie star who can act or an actor who happens to be very famous. If you felt deja vu this week, you did not imagine it.

What set everyone off this time

A24 dropped a teaser for 'The Drama' — the intense, claustrophobic one with Robert Pattinson — and suddenly timelines lit up on December 10–11, 2025. The discourse split fast:

On one side, critics said her performances feel like variations on a single persona — no big transformations, not much gravitas, just Zendaya calibrating her own emotions. A few took it further, chalking the consistency up to Disney training, with one post claiming she would basically need a lobotomy to act with authenticity. Another tossed out the classic 'beautiful gowns' verdict and called it a day.

On the other side, defenders pointed out that not every actor is a shape-shifter, and that charisma and natural delivery are real skills. They argued she is reliably good in 'Dune' and the 'Spider-Man' films, and that her raw, messy intensity as Rue in 'Euphoria' is why she has awards in the first place. Some people also questioned why there was a sudden pile-on when her new movie is not even out yet, and asked where this energy is for white actresses who get praised for playing the same role every time.

One interesting middle take: someone argued her sometimes awkward, surface-y emoting — a frequent complaint — is actually being used on purpose in 'The Drama' teaser to make the filmed intimacy feel prickly and unnerving. That is a sharp read, and honestly, it tracks with how A24 likes to weaponize star personas.

What Zendaya says she is trying to do

Before this latest round of hot takes, she has been clear about the kinds of characters that pull her in — the complicated, thorny ones. In an IMDb chat, she laid it out plainly:

"I want to play characters who are complicated... unlikable, unlovable, or irredeemable."

She sees the job as getting you to care anyway. Rue Bennett is her north star for that mission: make you hold empathy for someone who is hurting even as she blows up her own life and scorches people around her. Same instinct guided 'Malcolm & Marie', where she plays a woman tethered to a partner who mined her trauma. 'Challengers' continues that streak with Tashi Duncan, a brilliant, ruthless tennis prodigy playing power, desire, and rivalry like a sport within the sport.

How she got here (and why people read her the way they do)

Zendaya grew up in Oakland, and her mom worked at California Shakespeare Theater. That meant watching stage actors up close from essentially toddler age. In 2021, she told the Irish Times that her obsession started there:

"I learned about my love for acting from the stage. My mom worked at the California Shakespeare Theater since I was a kid... And I just was obsessed with what they were doing. I didn't really understand it."

From there came modeling, Disney Channel fame via 'Shake It Up' and 'K.C. Undercover', even a 'Dancing with the Stars' run. The Disney pipeline gave her confidence and polish early, which some people now read as sameness. Then came the Emmy for 'Euphoria' — a win that surprised awards watchers and set off a flood of applause online. Along the way, she has admitted there were times she felt overlooked or not fully appreciated, but her interviews stay locked on the work: every role is a chance to understand more, not build a pedestal.

The workload coming at her

• 'The Drama' (A24) with Robert Pattinson — releases April 3, 2026 in the U.S.
• 'Dune 3' — back to Arrakis
• 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' — the next Spidey chapter
• Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' — another major 2026 title

So... is she overrated or underestimated?

Depends on what you want from a star. If you are chasing chameleon work every time, you might bounce off her. If you value presence, control, and the way a familiar energy can be angled into new contexts, you can see why directors keep calling. The industry clearly trusts her ambition; the internet trusts its own vibes. Both can be true.

Is Zendaya overrated, underestimated, or just evolving faster than audiences can recalibrate? Drop your verdict — or your love letters — below.