Is Zendaya teasing a villain role for her next movie?

Los Angeles, California - Zendaya recently dished on her surprising career aspirations, revealing that she hopes to take on a darker, more sinister role one day.

Zendaya told ELLE magazine that her career aspirations include playing a villain and directing her own movie.
Zendaya told ELLE magazine that her career aspirations include playing a villain and directing her own movie.  © Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

The 26-year-old has dabbled in the classic dichotomy of good and evil in the superhero world thanks to her Marvel movie roles, but she's been strictly on team good... until now?

In her recent ELLE magazine cover story, Zendaya revealed she'd love to be her very own big bad one day, whether in the superhero realm or not.

"I would love to play a villain of sorts," she said. "Tap into that evil, supervillain vibe. Whatever that manifests in, I don't think necessarily in a superhero sense but in an emotional sense."

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"I feel like I usually play the good guy, so I'd like to play the bad guy."

Though she got her start on Disney Channel, Zendaya has certainly had her share of darker, more intense roles - most notably her award-winning performance as Rue in Euphoria. Still, a supervillian role certainly has a nice ring to it, and fans can't wait to see

Elsewhere in the interview, the Malcolm & Marie star opened up about her dreams of working behind the camera one day as a director and admitted she's still a bit too nervous to make the leap.

Zendaya reveals she hopes to become a director

"The first step to actually doing something yourself is not an easy step to take, so hopefully I can get over the fear," she said.

In another interview earlier this month, Zendaya revealed she often asks the directors on her film sets if she can shadow them to get a better sense of the role, showing she's taking notable strides in preparing for such a venture.

In the meantime, Zendaya's long-awaited return to the big screen is set to kick off in 2024 after the SAG-AFTRA strike led to the delays of both Challengers and Dune: Part Two.

Cover photo: Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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