15th November 2017: Zendaya's New Role In Reese Witherspoon-Produced 'A White Lie' Has Divided Fans
News of Zendaya's new role in the film adaptation of The Gilded Years has left her fans divided.
There were plenty of people who applauded the part in A White Lie, pointing to the female-backed production (both Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya herself are backing the project), the writing and the elevation of a black-led film.
However, some people were disappointed with various elements. Some people suggested that the film isn't particularly groundbreaking, since it's about a 'passing' (light-skinned) black woman. Other people commented on Zendaya actually being too dark for the role. Whilst others claimed it was hypocritical of her, as a vocal black woman, to go for a role about 'white-passing'.
Some people have pointed out how the young star has been put between a rock and a hard place, being too white for some and too dark for others, all whilst trying to portray an important moment in black history.
14th November 2017: Zendaya And Reese Witherspoon Team Up For Female African-American Biopic 'A White Lie'
Today is a good day to be alive, people.
Why? Oh, just because we've learned that Zendaya will play Anita Hemmings, the first African-American woman to graduate from Vassar College in New York, in an up-coming film she's co-producing with Oscar winner, Reese Witherspoon.
The film, titled A White Lie, is adapted from Karin Tanabe's historical novel The Gilded Years which tells the true story of Hemmings, a light-skinned African-American woman who was the daughter of a janitor and the descendant of slaves, and passed as white so she could attend Vassar during the 1890s (via Deadline).
Hemmings finds herself immersed in the upper echelons of New York society, and is treated as a wealthy, educated white woman who finds love with a moneyed Harvard student.
Monica Beletsky will write the script, while Zendaya will produce the film alongside Witherspoon and her Hello Sunshine partner, Lauren Neustadter.
The 21-year-old actress recently played the female lead opposite Tom Holland in Spider-Man Homecoming, and will appear next in musical drama The Greatest Showman alongside Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams and Zac Efron.
Meanwhile, Zendaya recently called out Disney for their lack of diversity, and revealed that she had a big hand in making sure her Disney show K.C. Undercoverfeatured a black family.
Speaking to Black-ish star and close friend Yara Shahidi, the star told Glamour: 'I didn't feel like there was any other choice. I was like, 'If I'm going to do this, this is how it has to be.'
'There needs to be a black family on the Disney Channel. A lot of people who aren't people of colour can't quite understand what it's like to grow up and not see yourself in mainstream media.'
She added: 'And you know, there is so much work left to be done. I've talked about this before, but can I honestly say I would be in the position I'm in if I weren't a lighter-skinned black woman? No.'
The actress has also been using her platform to speak out against gun violence, and recently publicly addressed a magazine for photoshopping her hips and torso so that they appeared thinner.
A film starring and produced by Zendaya and Reese Witherspoon - can you really get any better?
Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
