Zendaya Auditioned For A Role In The Major Disney Channel Franchise But She Didn't Get It — She Ended Up Landing Something Way, Way Bigger

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·3-min read

A former Disney exec is sharing details about Zendaya and the huge movie series she auditioned for, but didn't get.

Zendaya in a sleeveless black gown, holding a small handbag, posing outdoors on a lit pathway at a nighttime event
Arnold Jerocki / Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC

During a recent episode of the Magical Rewind podcast, ex-VP of Casting and Talent Relations at Disney Channel, Cornelia Frame, revealed the Challengers star had hopes of joining the Descendants cast.

Zendaya sitting in an audience, wearing a stylish pinstripe shirt with a dark tie and white blazer. She appears focused, with people seated around her
Clive Brunskill / Getty Images

“Zendaya did audition many times for Descendants, and that was a big deal,” Cornelia said. "It was a really big deal. She auditioned over and over and really wanted it. It just ended up not going her way.”

Zendaya wearing a floral-print dress with thin straps, smiling, and walking outside with security and onlookers in the background
Raymond Hall / GC Images / Getty Images

For those unfamiliar with the musical fantasy movie franchise, Descendants follows the lives of the offspring of Disney's most popular heroes and villains. When soon-to-be king, Ben (the son of Belle and Beast), announces that he's allowing four children from the Isle of the Lost (a slum island where all the villains are forced to live without their magic) to live amongst the heroes in the United States of Auradon, residents must decide if they believe people can change for the better, or if some people are just inherently bad.

Cast of Disney's Descendants in character costumes: Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, Mitchell Hope, Melanie Paxson, Kathy Najimy, and Kristin Chenoweth
Disney Channel / ©Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection

Filming officially began in 2014, and it premiered exactly nine years ago today, in 2015. Around this time, Zendaya was still starring in her hit Disney Channel series K.C. Undercover, and her Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) Zapped had made its debut.

Zendaya playfully holds a frying pan in a restaurant kitchen, wearing a stylish blue dress, while a chef in white attire looks on, also holding a pan
Disney Channel / ©Disney Channel/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection

Cornelia added that Zendaya put "so much effort and so much work" into her auditions, but it just didn't work out. But that might've played in her favor, because if she did end up landing a role in the film, she might not have been able to make her feature film debut alongside her boyfriend Tom Holland in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Zendaya embraces someone in a Spider-Man costume, posing on a city sidewalk in front of a glass building

Casting began in 2015, and in March 2016, it was announced that Zendaya would be playing Michelle, aka MJ.

Zendaya and Spider-Man in an action scene with a cityscape background. Zendaya looks worried while Spider-Man extends his arm protectively

Please note, this is another image from Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Sony Pictures Releasing / © Marvel Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection

“Now that I think about it, I’m like, ‘Would Spider-Man have happened right at that same time?’ Things happen for a reason, and you do often book this other thing that’s amazing when you don’t get something else,” Cornelia said.

Zendaya smiling and sitting on a couch during a talk show appearance, wearing a stylish sleeveless white top
Nbc / Weiss Eubanks / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Although the Descendants role Zendaya auditioned for was never disclosed in the interview, you can learn more by listening to the full Magical Rewind episode here.

And be sure to check out Descendants: The Rise of Red, the latest installment in the movie franchise, when it hits Disney Channel on Aug. 9, or stream it now on Disney+.

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