Zendaya has spoken out in regards to criticism sparked by the age gap between her and her costar John David Washington in their upcoming movie Malcolm & Marie.
The movie, which was shot in just two weeks due to the Covid-19 restrictions, was filmed when Washington was 35 and Zendaya 23, per BuzzFeed News.
A number of critics have since taken to social media to voice their concerns about what they see as an issue that is widespread in Hollywood.
One person said: "Anyways, my criticism of the film is that Zendaya could’ve gotten a male costar HER age. John almost 40 years old. It’s tiring for me..."
Another added: "I really hope people realize that no one is saying Zendaya is a bad actress or person for that movie but that the practice of casting younger actresses with men that are older than them is a symptom of bigger problem in Hollywood.
"And like every tweet that’s like “So and so was this old when they were in (x)!” Like yeah, that’s also not good my guy.
"“Well why didn’t you talk about x?” Because I was either a child or didn’t know any better because we are taught not to.
"She is literally one of the most popular, well employed actresses in America. No one is trying to take her job cause they are pointing out something that was also pointed out not long ago when a movie like Mank came out.
"And bringing up any movie with Leonardo DiCaprio as if women in entertainment journalism didn’t literally make a graph to keep track of the age differences between him and both his irl and fictional love interests is silly."
However, others were not happy with the age gap criticism, with one fan saying: "zendaya is older than margot robbie was in 'the wolf of wallstreet' and keira knightley was in 'pride and prejudice' so if you can't see her play an adult woman, which is exactly what she is, then that's your own issue i think [sic]."
Another said: "see how yall praise margot robbie being 22 in the wolf of wallstreet but now say shit like zendaya is too young for malcom and marie??? [sic]."
In an interview with E!'s Daily Pop, Zendaya said she believes people find it hard to see her as an adult due to her Disney roots.
"I've played a 16-year-old since I was 16," she said. "You have to remember people also grew up with me as a child."
She explained, "It's like watching, I guess, your younger sibling — now they're grown, and you're not ready for it."
"It's hard for people to wrap [their heads] around the idea that I am grown in real life, even though I do play a teenager on television still," she added.
Zendaya also opened up about how her child star past affected her career as an adult during an interview with Carey Mulligan for Variety's Actors on Actors.
"I've always felt that I could bring things to the table: that I could be creative and free to try things, and put out bad ideas," Zendaya said. "Because of the Disney kid thing, I get scared of that kind of thing."
She continued: "[Disney Channel is] where I started, and I learned so much from that experience. It's just kind of been this slow progression, and I am happy that it's all been to prove it to myself and not to anybody else."
In an interview with Variety, Washington said that he "wasn't concerned about" the age gap.
"She is a woman," Washington said. "People are going to see in this film how much of a woman she is."
"She has far more experience than I do in the industry," he added. "I've only been in it for seven years. She's been in it longer, so I'm learning from her. I'm the rookie. I was leaning on her for a lot."
"What I'm really excited for people to see when the film is released — they're going to see how mature she is in this role," Washington said.