Critic says Zendaya’s star power rivals her acting talent

Zendaya’s celebrity status is just as important as her acting ability in Hollywood, according to Alexander Grevy, a writer and critic for Soundvenue, as reported by DR.

The American actor, model and singer is currently appearing in several high-profile productions. She plays Athene, the goddess of wisdom, in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Spider-Man’s girlfriend in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and a leading role in the science fiction film Dune 3, which is due out in the autumn.

She can also be seen in the romantic comedy The Drama and the series Euphoria, which premiered in 2019.

Grevy said Zendaya’s roles had not been secured because of exceptional acting talent. In what he described as a “hot take”, he argued that she was simply good at being a celebrity.

“She is just good at playing the game without looking as though she is playing the game. She is well liked, and people like to like her, but she is simply not a great acting talent,” Grevy said on the P1 programme Søndag morgen.

Zendaya rose to prominence as one of the main actors in Disney Channel’s dance series Shake It Up in 2010. Grevy said that appearing in three films premiering within six months did not necessarily make her a skilled actor.

He acknowledged that she delivered her lines well, but said she did not experiment enough with the characters she played.

“She does not have much range as an actor. She is very much the same in the films she appears in. She is Zendaya, just in different costumes, I think,” he said.

Grevy pointed to a scene in The Drama, in which Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play a couple posing for wedding photographs. He said Zendaya’s performance fell short while the camera took pictures of them.

“You can really see a big difference in the performances. I think Robert Pattinson is much better, and he does it very subtly. What Zendaya does is bordering on being a little boring,” Grevy said.

Zendaya has also received praise for her acting from several internationally recognised critics. Nolan, the director of The Odyssey, has described her performance as “perfect”.

Grevy said Zendaya’s appeal was a strength in its own right. He described her as modest and extremely likeable, saying she did not appear to be someone with 200 million followers on Instagram.

He also argued that celebrity status had become as valuable as acting ability in Hollywood. Grevy cited Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as another example, saying audiences watched his films because of his celebrity rather than his acting.

According to Grevy, this is why major directors such as Nolan and Denis Villeneuve, who directs the Dune films, are happy to work with Zendaya. Her brand benefits their films, he said.

“Hollywood is in crisis, so every trick counts,” Grevy said.