An exciting collaboration that has sprung into pop culture within the past couple of years is the dynamic between Sam Levinson and Zendaya. Together, they helped make Euphoria one of HBO's top hits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they united for a pair of Euphoria holiday specials, as well as a feature film that has nothing to do with Zendaya's turn as Rue Bennett.
With John David Washington, the pair brought Malcolm & Marie to Netflix. Both Euphoria and Malcolm & Marie have received mixed reviews, but across the board, critics agree that Zendaya is the standout of both. There are so many reasons to be excited about Zendaya's future as an actor, but for now, both Rue and Marie have claims to being her top performance.
Malcolm & Marie: Acting Within Acting
About halfway through Malcolm & Marie, Zendaya turns her performance over to another gear. As a means of manipulation and proving herself to Malcolm, Zendaya exhibits acting within acting.
Her role as Marie was already completely convincing, but this manufactured breakdown (complete with a knife and threats towards Malcolm) is also scarily believable. It's definitely one of Zendaya's acting zeniths thus far.
Euphoria: Disparate Personalities
While this one moment of Malcolm & Marie was doubly layered, Euphoria contains scenes from Zendaya that require her to shift moods and performances quickly. Yet, she always manages to deftly weave between each of them.
She can seem carefree in one moment and entirely anxiety-ridden or lethargic the next. Euphoria is essentially a barrage of Malcolm & Marie type moments in every episode. It seems exhausting, but for Zendaya, it also seems effortless.
Malcolm & Marie: Character Creation
Because of this nature of Rue, there's a lot for Zendaya to sink her acting passions into. The character is well-written and has a ton of nuances for her to take advantage of. Malcolm & Marie is a bit more surface-level and requires more from her as an actor.
Fortunately, she was up to the task. Zendaya elevates a completely realized character out of a screenplay that sketched Marie as more of a skeleton template. It's almost a Herculean effort, the way Zendaya carries this movie. Part of that came through the creation of a character in the first place.
Euphoria: The Emmy
Awards are not a barometer of quality, by any means. If they were, the likes of Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, and Carrie Coon would have more trophies on their mantles. However, Zendaya's Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series feels correct.
The award serves as something of a coronation for an actor people will be eager to watch for a long time. It's also entirely deserved, as Zendaya turned in impeccable performances every week back in 2019. Her Oscar prospects may not be as bright yet, but this was the rare instance of an Emmy win going the right direction.
Malcolm & Marie: Monologues
Considering Malcolm & Marie is a two-hander that is oriented much more around the screenplay than the direction, there's a lot asked of Zendaya in terms of monologue memorization. The Netflix film contains a lot of words, to say the least.
Yet, they all feel wholly genuine emanating from Zendaya as Marie. She handles each monologue differently, but each also feels of a piece with the performance choices she makes along the way. It's impressive work that could have felt too stagy under the wrong hands.
Euphoria: Restraint
While the monologues are great in Zendaya's control, they're also a lot. There's more to be said for the restraint she exhibits as Rue in Euphoria. There's not a whole lot of pontificating or rambling in that series, which is racing speedily in almost every scene.
Fortunately, Zendaya's presence in the series helps slow down this pace and ground the entire show in the empathy fans feel for her, as Rue or otherwise. Zendaya could've gone big with the role, but she instead keeps it subdued and understated. Its restraint typically displayed only by veterans, but Zendaya is clearly ahead of her time.
Malcolm & Marie: The Movie Is Hers
Euphoria obviously boasts Zendaya as its star, but it's still also defined by an ensemble cast. For Malcolm & Marie, Zendaya gets more space to cook in her scenes. During them, she's also arguably out-performing Washington, himself considered an electrifying up-and-comer.
But much of Washington's work in Malcolm & Marie feels repetitive, while Zendaya shines in new ways each time a monologue begins for her. This movie is hers and should be the final reminder that she's going to be a star to anyone who was still hesitant.
Euphoria: Chemistry On Chemistry
One aspect criticized with Malcolm & Marie is that some feel there's not a whole lot of chemistry between Zendaya and John David Washington, even if they're both fun to see on screen together. Therefore, Euphoria clearly has an advantage on the chemistry front.
Zendaya elevates performers in every scene she shares with them; it almost seems like they're made better in their own storylines due to her presence. Zendaya's connections with Storm Reid's Gia, Rue's sister, and Hunter Schafer's Jules, Rue's friend with potential for more, are moving dynamics.
Malcolm & Marie: A More Grown-Up Role
Zendaya is an electrifying performer, to be sure. However, much of her work, including Euphoria, sees her playing a teenager in coming-of-age capacities. Malcolm & Marie, on the other hand, lets audiences see what Zendaya would be like in a more grown-up role.
Stories of youth will always be beloved, but Malcolm & Marie calls upon Zendaya to explore her range more than she's been called upon to do so far. Her ability to meet those demands demonstrates cause for the film to be counted as a vehicle for her best performance.
Euphoria: Trouble Don't Last Always
The best performance delivered by Zendaya in Euphoria does not come in a standard, season-set episode of the series. Instead, it's delivered in a different kind of two-hander.
This one was labeled "Trouble Don't Last Always" and took place between Rue and her sponsor, Colman Domingo's Ali. It's a more toned-down version of Euphoria, but a promising one if the show follows its lead. Domingo is great as a scene partner, but Zendaya has never been better than when she's reckoning with the emotional fallout of her own regretful decisions.