Yahoo Movies Spider-Man's Zendaya opens up about social media anxiety
Spider-Man star Zendaya has spoken about the anxiety she feels around social media and the importance of taking time away from the pressures of it.
Speaking on The HFPA in Conversation podcast, the Euphoria star explained how her relationship with Instagram in particular has changed over time with her growing fame.
"I was far more active [on Instagram] when I was younger, but over time I think I just – it's not that I hate it or anything – but I would find sometimes that being on it would kind of make me anxious or I would start to overthink a little too much or be on my phone too much.
Related: The Amazing Spider-Man star rules out a return for Spider-Man 3
"My relationship with all of it is my own and it is personal to me, but it is also something that I like to keep a little space with too.
"I think my fans who have known me and who I feel really understand me respect that because they understand that I am a human being and I think they want me to have a life and want me be happy and exist beyond social media."
Zendaya also wanted to assure fans that, though she doesn't necessarily post on social media every day, she does see their messages.
"I'm always there. They know that I'm there. They know that it's really me, but it is an important thing for me to have my own time and not be so sucked into a phone."
Related: Spider-Man's Tom Holland recalls "horrible" audition process
Meanwhile, Zendaya has also recently spoken about her audition for Spider-Man, revealing that initially she didn't know which part she was auditioning for.
"We weren't supposed to know that the script pages that we were reading were for Spider-Man but I did find out because I have good agents. But I didn't know what role I was auditioning for. I just thought it was 'Girl in Spider-Man movie.' I didn't really know what kind of character they would be.
"Right before the screen test, they were kind of saying, 'Okay, these are the characters that we're reading for'... MJ being one of them, and I was like, 'Oh, that would be so cool.'"
Related: Tenet star responds to age gap criticism on Malcom and Marie
Her latest project, Malcolm and Marie, is a Netflix original in which she stars alongside Tenet's John David Washington, and promises a raw insight into the love and tensions a couple experience during one eventful night.
Malcolm & Marie arrives February 5, 2021 on Netflix.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is available now on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download. A third Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland has a release date of December 17, 2021.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.
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