- In an interview for Vanity Fair,
Zendaya was asked: "What is the quality you most like in a man?" - In response, she rephrased the gendered question to focus on what she most admires in a person.
Zendaya expertly rephrased a gendered interview question regarding what she most admires in a partner.
The 24-year-old "Euphoria" star participated in a new video interview with Vanity Fair that coincided with her appearance on the cover of the magazine's 2021 Hollywood Issue. As part of the video, Zendaya was asked 35 questions in rapid succession. The questionnaire was designed to reveal her "true nature."
A few minutes into the interview, the "Spider-Man: Far From Home" star was asked: "What is the quality you most like in a man?"
In response, the Emmy-winning actress said, "I most like in a person, how about that?"
Zendaya elaborated on her now-viral answer, explaining that it's "such a big question."
"What is the quality I most like in someone? I would say, 'kindness' is kind of not the best way to describe it, but some people are just good people, and you can just feel it," she said.
The actress continued: "And I don't know how to explain that, but there's this little spark they have or this little special thing that they have, that just you feel safe and happy around them. I don't know what that is, but some people have it, and it's special."
In the following question, Zendaya was asked about the quality she most likes in a woman.
"Well, I guess that's the same answer," she said.
Elsewhere in the interview, the former Disney Channel star was asked, "What or who is the greatest love of your life."
In addition to adoring her family, Zendaya pointed to her job as the thing she's passionate about.
"I really love what I do and I'm so grateful that I get to do what I love to do," she said. "But it doesn't even feel like a job."
Fans of Zendaya know that the actress doesn't share many details about her personal life or romantic history.
In 2016 she shut down speculation that she was dating athlete Odell Beckham Jr. after the pair were photographed on the red carpet of a Grammys after-party.
The following year, Zendaya and "Spider-Man" costar Tom Holland also poked fun at reports of them having an off-screen romance.
In her cover story for the July 2017 issue of Vogue, the actress surprised fans when she revealed that she was in a relationship for four years - which her fans were unaware of.
"It was my first love," she said. "It wasn't a good ending."
Zendaya also opened up about the aftermath of the split, saying: "You know you're OK in a breakup when your first thought is not, 'What did I do wrong?' It's, 'That was the dumbest decision of your life, and you're going to regret it forever.'"