9 Best Zendaya Movies and TV Shows: Ranking Her Most Memorable Roles
Alongside fellow actors Timothée Chalamet and Sydney Sweeney, the mononymous superstar Zendaya is defining the Gen Z era of Hollywood with a versatile style that’s somehow simultaneously down-to-earth, full of confidence, and kinda weird.
Born in 1996, Zendaya got her start on the Disney Channel but now she’s in basically every TV and movie theater in America, acting alongside other huge stars and capturing the energy of the moment with her iconic film and TV roles. In time for the premiere of Season 3 of “Euphoria” (which premieres April 12 on HBO Max), we took a trip down memory lane to highlight the best roles that Zendaya has delivered to the zeitgeist thus far.
9. “Zapped” (2014)
In this forgettable Disney Channel Original Movie from 2014, Zendaya plays a high schooler who gets her hands on a phone app that can control the obnoxious boys and men around her. It’s a very pre-“Euphoria” role for the up-and-coming star, and a critic for the New York Times could tell that the movie was just a vehicle for her growing fame, providing “one tiny step in her impending ubiquity.”
Where to watch “Zapped”
You can stream “Zapped” on Disney+ or you can rent it from a video-on-demand platform like Prime Video or Apple TV.
8. “Smallfoot” (2018)
Zendaya had some of her first big roles in musicals, including this animated comedy about a family of Yetis in the Himalayas. Though she’s definitely a better actor than singer, it’s clear she’s having a blast in “Smallfoot” as the bright and plucky Meechee.
Where to watch “Smallfoot”
You can watch “Smallfoot” by renting it on a video-on-demand platform like Prime Video or Apple TV.
7. “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (2021)
Plenty of millennials think back fondly to the original “Space Jam” from 1996, and it makes sense that this sequel would bring in a certified Gen Z icon like Zendaya for this 2021 sequel. Here she voices the inimitable Lola Bunny alongside LeBron James.
Where to watch “Space Jam: A New Legacy”
You can watch “Space Jam: A New Legacy” by renting it from video-on-demand platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV.
6. “Shake It Up” (2010–2013)
Before Zendaya broke out as a 17-year-old drug-sniffing, grief-stricken wreck in “Euphoria,” she was starring as a clever 14-year-old full of optimism on this Disney Channel sitcom.
Where to watch “Shake It Up”
You can stream “Shake It Up” on Disney+ or you can buy it from video-on-demand platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV.
5. “Malcolm & Marie” (2021)
Directed by Sam Levinson (the same guy who created “Euphoria”), “Malcolm & Marie” got panned by a lot of critics for its overcooked tone and self-indulgent premise. But Zendaya has undeniable chemistry with co-star John David Washington in this dialogue-heavy drama about a creative couple figuring themselves out.
Where to watch “Malcolm & Marie”
You can stream “Malcolm & Marie” on Netflix or you can rent it from video-on-demand platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV.
4: “Challengers” (2024)
Zendaya has a real gift for standing out in complex romances and spicy dramas. That is most clear in “Challengers,” in which she exudes pure confidence and poise as an ex-tennis pro turned manager who helps kickstart a deliriously entertaining love triangle between herself, her tennis ball-whacking husband and a fellow competitor on the courts.
Where to watch “Challengers”
You can stream “Challengers” on Hulu or you can rent it from video-on-demand platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV.
3. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021)
In one of her coolest roles, Zendaya appears as the socially awkward, down-to-earth Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson in three Spider-Man movies—including this multiverse-warping epic in which she doesn’t even need superpowers to help save the day after Parker’s cover gets blown and a magic spell goes wrong. She’ll be back as MJ in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which hits theaters on July 31, 2026.
Where to watch “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
You can watch “Spider-Man: No Way Home” on streaming platform STARZ or you can rent it from video-on-demand platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV.
2. “Dune: Part Two” (2024)
After appearing multiple times in Paul Atreides’ spice-addled visions and then emerging with the Fremen tribe in the first installment of “Dune,” Zendaya’s Chani takes on a central role in “Dune: Part Two.” She powerfully plays a fierce and skeptical foil to the messianic Paul, providing an emotional anchor for this highfalutin’ sci-fi fantasy in which she acts alongside her real-life bestie Timothée Chalamet.
Where to watch “Dune: Part Two”
You can stream “Dune: Part Two” on HBO Max or rent it from video-on-demand platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV.
1. “Euphoria” (2019–present)
Zendaya won two Emmy Awards for her lead role on “Euphoria,” in which she makes a radical break from her previous roles as a Disney tween idol. Zendaya stars as Rue Bennett, a sharp but damaged teenager facing down drug addiction and navigating other rite-of-passage struggles in a fictional California suburb.
Where to watch “Euphoria”
You can stream “Euphoria” on HBO Max or buy it from video-on-demand platform Apple TV.
