Zendaya Defends Cyrus' 'Miley Moment': 'You Don't Know Who You Are Yet'
Being a child star comes with “a lot of pressure” -- just ask Zendaya.
The actress opened up to Complex magazine about the lows that come with being a child star and how she understands the drastic transformation of fellow Disney alum, Miley Cyrus.
“A lot of [child stars] were forced into being role models and they had to pretend to be something that they didn’t feel matched up with who they were,” the 19-year-old star explains. “You’ve got to realize when you’re really young you don’t know who you are yet. And as soon as you figure it out, you’ve already been forced to become something that you didn’t really know you signed up for. So it’s like, I get it. There’s a lot of pressure, so I completely understand.”
“Everyone has their different ways of learning and growing and finding out who they are, and you can’t fault people for that,” she adds.
When it comes to herself though, the singer explains that there will be no dramatic transformation because she’s always been true to who she is.
“In order to avoid those problems just be yourself from the beginning and be honest with the world, because that’s the only thing you can do,” she tells the mag. “There will be no surprises.”
“I’m not suddenly going to be like woo, crazy,” Zendaya adds.
Although she won’t be going changing up her persona anytime soon, she still has experienced her own personal struggle with stardom, especially when it comes to her music.
WATCH: Zendaya on Getting Her Own Barbie Doll
"The challenge that I think young musicians face is that it is hard to stay with your vision, because everyone has an opinion and everyone has an opinion on how they see your career should go," Zendaya shared. "Sometimes you just got to stick with your gut instinct and stick with your personal vision."
To see who the starlet finds inspiration in when she’s down, watch the video below.