Zendaya is famous for her animated expressions, and she owes her knack for them to none other than Raven-Symoné.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair published Wednesday, November 14, the Challengers star, 28, shared how she grew up admiring the comedic timing and expressions of Raven from That’s So Raven, calling her “one of the queens of facial expression.”
Zendaya even imitated Raven’s iconic catchphrase, “Ya nasty!” with a laugh, reflecting on how Raven’s style left an impact on her own.
“It’s in me. I grew up like this. She was so phenomenal,” she added.
The Emmy-winning actress fondly recalled introducing her 8-year-old niece to the hit Disney Channel Original Movie The Cheetah Girls — one of her childhood obsessions.
“She was like, ‘Why are you so into it?’” Zendaya confessed, laughing as she admitted to enthusiastically singing and dancing to Cinderella right along with the musical.
Her niece, however, was less than enthused, with Zendaya recalling her reaction, “‘Umm… Auntie. Girl. Calm down.’”
For the Spider-Man alum, the nostalgia runs deep. She reminisced about her own Cheetah Girl days, explaining that she and her friends at school would rehearse their routines, practicing in the reflection of sliding glass windows. “We tried to audition other girls. It was really serious,” she said, recalling a Grandparents Day performance with her school “Cheetah Girls” crew.
Much like her idol, Zendaya also got her start on Disney Channel, starring in Shake It Up from 2010 to 2013 before moving on to a lineup of other Disney projects that helped launch her career.
