Following the reaction against Zendaya’s age difference in Malcolm and Marie with John David Washington, the 24-year-old star is finally addressing the controversy for herself.
Zendaya is 12 years younger than John David Washington, the 36-year-old actor who plays his on-screen love interest in his new film, Malcolm & Marie. When the Netflix original – a romantic drama shot entirely in black and white – was first announced in the summer of 2020, many fans were concerned about the huge age difference between the Disney Channel student and her co-actor. But the Euphoria star believes that the concern comes from “playing a 16-year-old girl since I was 16,” she told E! News from Victor Cruz on Wednesday, January 27.
“You must remember, too, that people grew up with me as a child,” explained Zendaya. “It’s like watching, I think, your little brother now, you know, they’ve grown … So it’s hard for people to accept the idea that I grew up in real life. You know, although I still play a teenager on television, ”she added, referring to her role as Rue Bennett on HBO’s Euphoria.
Meanwhile, Zendaya’s co-star admits that he “didn’t know what the industry would be like”. Washington, who plays filmmaker Malcolm in the Netflix movie, told E! News on Wednesday: “I didn’t know if I would have the opportunity to do what I love to do most, which is acting”.
In an earlier interview published on January 12 with Variety, Washington defended his age difference with Zendaya and noted that he was “very excited for people to see when the film is released how mature she is in this role”. The actor and son of Denzel Washington went on to explain that the audience “will see in this film how much she is a woman”.
“She has a lot more experience than me in the industry,” said Washington Variety at the time. “I’ve only been in this for seven years. She’s been in this for a long time, so I’m learning from her. I’m the newbie. “
He continued, “Some of the stories she shared about what she had to go through with Twitter and everything,” noting recent fan concerns. “I appreciated your wisdom and insight when it comes to this business. I admire that. “
Malcolm and Marie premieres on February 5, 2021 on Netflix.
