Zendaya says she feels a heavy responsibility as a Black woman in Hollywood

If you thought being a Disney star put a celebrity under that extra bit of pressure not to disappoint fans, imagine being a Black Disney star. That’s the double whammy Zendaya says she faces in Hollywood, but she’s also appreciative of having that responsibility.In a roundtable interview for The Hollywood Reporter alongside actresses Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Helena Bonham Carter, Rose Byrne and Janelle Monae, the Euphoria star said that she feels “a heavy responsibility” to be a positive role model. “There's a lot of good that I can do and I know who is watching," she explained. "Now, more than ever, specifically with Black Lives Matter and everything, I feel an obligation to make sure that I'm aware and putting out the right things and in line with organizers and people who are on the ground."The 23-year-old came up in the spotlight, having first earned passionate fans for three seasons in the 2010 series Shake It Up. She’s spoken about being under pressure to make the right “next moves” in the past, but she further opened up about that stress in the roundtable. “I think, like a lot of artists, I'm my biggest critic, so some of it was internal — not wanting to make a mistake or worrying that maybe I didn't have the room to make a mistake and wanting to make the right next move,” she explained. “But I also wanted to prove myself. When Euphoria came along, I was very grateful because all those fears melted away and I felt like it was something that I had to be a part of. So, the fear became just, like, push yourself. If you go to work and you're scared, that's a good thing. You should be worried about whether you can do it.”When the interviewer asked Zendaya to expand on the idea that she felt as though there was no room to make a mistake, the actress explained that there are various levels that she has to consider. “It's a constant thing. Being a young Disney actor, that's one level, being a young Black woman is one level, and then being very hard on myself is another level. It's also just a personal fear,” she said. “I want to do a good job, and sometimes that can cause you to be fearful of things. But I will say that there's something that happens when a special character comes along, for me at least, and those fears melt away. They don't come back until it starts airing, which is when I started to get a little scared again. But now, I'm excited to go back because the motivation is to work harder and become a better actress. I just want to get better.”She also revealed that she continues to push her management to get her in the room for a variety of roles, even if the part is written as white woman or a man, while acknowledging that it's "important being a light-skinned woman to recognize my privilege in that sense as well and make sure that I'm not taking up space where I don't need to."On Euphoria, Zendaya plays Rue—a character based on creator Sam Levinson’s own personal experience as a white man struggling with addiction and was written without a specific gender in mind. Before the series premiered she went on Instagram to warn her 72.3 million followers about what they were signing up for by tuning in. “Just a reminder before tonight’s premiere, that Euphoria is for mature audiences,” she wrote of the HBO series. “It’s a raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety and the difficulties of navigating life today. There are scenes that are graphic, hard to watch and can be triggering. Please only watch if you feel you can handle it. Do what’s best for you. I will still love you and feel your support. Love, Daya.”Euphoria was renewed for a second season last summer following positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Fans of the star were up in arms over her lack of a Golden Globe nomination for the role earlier this year, but the actress is considered a strong contender heading into this year’s Emmy nominations announcement on July 28.“I'm just figuring it out as I go, trying to do the best I can. And when it came to Euphoria, I just wanted to make sure that my fans knew, even the ones who were my age or older than me, that I still felt their support even if they felt that the material was too triggering for them or if they didn't feel ready or comfortable watching,” she added to THR. “[At the same time,] I didn't want to limit [myself] as an artist. I want to be able to do the things that I want to do and play the roles that I want to play.”[video_embed id='1983454']BEFORE YOU GO: Lainey apologizes for past racist and homophobic posts on her blog[/video_embed]