At 19, Zendaya has already been a Disney star and earned a spot on Time’s list of most influential teens alongside Malala Yousafzai. She’s released an album, and her second, produced by Timbaland, is coming out early next year.
“Of course I’ve had a problem with people taking me seriously because of my age,” she says in the latest issue of Hunger magazine, where she’s also on the cover. “People are always going to do that because you’re less experienced, you haven’t lived as much. And in a sense it is true that there are certain things that you only learn with time. But I think that there are also a lot of things that young people know that older people don’t, and older people will never understand again because they’re in a different section of their lives. I think when you’re young you’re a lot more open-minded, and sometimes you’re a lot more perceptive about what’s going on in the world.” If that sounds a little precocious, remember that this is the notably sane celebrity who called out a magazine for Photoshopping her photos and took a stand against racist comments on the red carpet.
She also stars in the magazine’s new video collaboration with Vivienne Westwood, singing her new song “Close Up” in everything from a low-cut scarlet gown to a more typically Westwood oversize plaid suit. Watch an exclusive preview above, and see the full film and read the full interview here.
