Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#4
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Zendaya works on versatility rather than volume, and the catalogue keeps proving that the quieter choice was the correct one.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Zendaya appears in 30 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Zendaya. Dune: Part Two is the clearest case: a film rated 9.0 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for comedy, fantasy, adventure. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Conrad Vernon, Kristoffer Borgli, Christopher Nolan and others, Zendaya helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Dune: Part Two (2024) as Chani · Covidwood (2021) as Self · Invisible Beauty (2023) as Self
Career snapshot
Ranked #4 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
30
2011–2027
Career length
16 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
9.0
Dune: Part Two
Average Nutevio score
6.4
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
9.0
Covidwood
Most frequent director
Denis Villeneuve
4 films together
Longest collaboration
4×
With Denis Villeneuve
Most common genre
Adventure
13 titles
Average runtime
1h 36m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.9
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.8
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2010s
6.8 average MV
The 2010s are where the work and the material meet. Spider-Man: Far From Home, Duck Duck Goose, Smallfoot — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2010s
6.8
Across 9 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2010s
6.7
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
2020s
2 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Shrek 5, Generations: The Evolution of Spider-Man, The Drama.
Most productive era
2020s
21 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.92 films | 7.54 films |
| Action | 7.72 films | 7.93 films |
| Comedy | 6.25 films | 4.74 films |
| Sci-Fi | — | 9.01 film |
| Romance | — | 7.03 films |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Fern (voice).
First Nutevio masterpiece · Highest rated performance
2021Covidwood
The first film here to clear 9.0 on our scale — a threshold fewer than one film in ten reaches. 9.0 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer.
Career peak
2024Dune: Part Two
Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2027Shrek 5
The current state of the argument, as Felicia (voice).
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
30 of 30 films
as Chani
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
as Self
Directed by Bethann Hardison
as MJ
Directed by Jon Watts
as Chani
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Showing 24 of 35 titles · 37 total credits · active 2003–2027
Shrek 5
2027 · Felicia (voice)
Generations: The Evolution of Spider-Man
2026 · Self - MJ
The Drama
2026 · Emma
The Odyssey: The Making of an Epic
2026 · Self - "Athena"
The Odyssey
2026 · Athena
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
2026 · MJ
Euphoria: A Look Back
2026 · Self (archive footage)
Dune: Part Three
2026 · Chani
Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert
2025 · Self
Dune: Part Two
2024 · Chani
Challengers
2024 · Tashi Donaldson · Producer
Invisible Beauty
2023 · Self
Inside the Dream
2022 · Self
Is That Black Enough for You?!?
2022 · Self
Spider-Man: No Way Home
2021 · MJ
Dune
2021 · Chani
Space Jam: A New Legacy
2021 · Lola Bunny (voice)
Malcolm & Marie
2021 · Marie · Producer
Covidwood
2021 · Self
30 for 30: The Bunny & the GOAT
2021 · Lola Bunny (voice)
Spider-Man: Far From Home
2019 · MJ
Duck Duck Goose
2018 · Chi (voice)
Smallfoot
2018 · Meechee (voice)
The Greatest Showman
2017 · Anne Wheeler
The defining work
#1
Chani
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Performance score9.1
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Chani gives Zendaya a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Self
Covidwood (2021)
Performance score8.9
Covidwood asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Self is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Self
Invisible Beauty (2023)
Performance score8.6
Invisible Beauty asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Self is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
MJ
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Performance score8.5
Spider-Man: No Way Home asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. MJ is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Chani
Start here. Dune: Part Two is the clearest statement of what Zendaya does — accessible, 166 minutes, and rated 9.0 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Zendaya at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Covidwood (2021)
A deliberate change of key after Dune: Part Two — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
A deliberate change of key after Covidwood — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Invisible Beauty (2023)
A deliberate change of key after Spider-Man: No Way Home — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
A deliberate change of key after Invisible Beauty — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Denis Villeneuve
Director
4 films together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Jon Watts
Director
3 films together
Notably Spider-Man: No Way Home
Malcolm D. Lee
Director
2 films together
Notably Space Jam: A New Legacy
Sam Levinson
Director
2 films together
Notably Malcolm & Marie
Bradley Raymond
Director
1 film together
Notably Pixie Hollow Games
Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Director
1 film together
Notably Frenemies
Robert Vince
Director
1 film together
Notably Super Buddies
Peter DeLuise
Director
1 film together
Notably Zapped
Michael Gracey
Director
1 film together
Notably The Greatest Showman
Karey Kirkpatrick
Director
1 film together
Notably Smallfoot
Elvis Mitchell
Director
1 film together
Notably Is That Black Enough for You?!?
Bethann Hardison
Director
1 film together
Notably Invisible Beauty
Luca Guadagnino
Director
1 film together
Notably Challengers
Paul Dugdale
Director
1 film together
Notably Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert
Destin Daniel Cretton
Director
1 film together
Notably Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Christopher Nolan
Director
1 film together
Notably The Odyssey
Kristoffer Borgli
Director
1 film together
Notably The Drama
Conrad Vernon
Director
1 film together
Notably Shrek 5
Timothée Chalamet
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Dave Bautista
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Rebecca Ferguson
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Javier Bardem
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Josh Brolin
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Austin Butler
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Florence Pugh
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Christopher Walken
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Léa Seydoux
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Stellan Skarsgård
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Charlotte Rampling
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Souheila Yacoub
Actor
1 film together
Notably Dune: Part Two
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Denis Villeneuve
Director
4 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 4 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Dune: Part TwoJon Watts
Director
3 films together · 7.9 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Spider-Man: No Way HomeMalcolm D. Lee
Director
2 films together · 5.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Space Jam: A New LegacySam Levinson
Director
2 films together · 5.1 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Malcolm & MarieBethann Hardison
Director
1 film together · 8.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Invisible BeautyPaul Dugdale
Director
1 film together · 8.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the DesertChristopher Nolan
Director
1 film together · 8.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The OdysseyMichael Gracey
Director
1 film together · 8.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Greatest ShowmanDestin Daniel Cretton
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Spider-Man: Brand New DayKristoffer Borgli
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The DramaBradley Raymond
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Pixie Hollow GamesLuca Guadagnino
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ChallengersKarey Kirkpatrick
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SmallfootElvis Mitchell
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Is That Black Enough for You?!?Peter DeLuise
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ZappedRobert Vince
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Super BuddiesDaisy von Scherler Mayer
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
FrenemiesConrad Vernon
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Shrek 5Six degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Recognition
12 wins
1 win · latest 2025
Dune: Part Two
1 win · latest 2023
as Actor
2 wins · latest 2022
as Actor
as Actor
3 wins · latest 2019
as Actor
as Actor
as Actor
1 win · latest 2020
as Actor
1 win · latest 2021
as Actor
1 win · latest 2020
as Actor
1 win · latest 2019
as Actor
1 win · latest 2022
as Actor
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Invisible Beauty
as Self
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Malcolm & Marie
as Marie
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Dune: Part Two
as Chani
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
The Odyssey
as Athena
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Dune: Part Two
as Chani
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Zendaya has known it for a long time.”
“Long live the fighters.”
“I will love you as long as I breathe.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
| Nutevio Performer Score | 8.1 | 9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Career ranking | #285 of 681 | #1 of 681 |
| Awards on file | Unknown | 3 recorded |
| Oscar wins | Unknown | 1 |
| Oscar nominations | Unknown | 5 |
| Average Nutevio score | 9.0 | 9.1 |
| Genres | Sci-Fi, Adventure, Drama | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, History |
| Directors | Denis Villeneuve | Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese |
| Performance DNA | Drama, Physical performance, Screen presence | Transformation, Drama, Screen presence |
| Career timeline | 2024–2024 | 2006–2026 |
| Most iconic role | Chani — Dune: Part Two | Odysseus — The Odyssey |
| Most rewatchable film | Dune: Part Two | Interstellar |
| Filmography | 1 catalogue film | 4 catalogue films |
Films together
Nothing in common in the library yet.
Shared directors
Nothing in common in the library yet.
Shared collections
Adventure Movies, Best Space Movies, Sci-Fi Movies, Drama Movies
Collaborators in common
Timothée Chalamet · Florence Pugh
Matt Damon edges ahead here — a higher floor across a comparable body of work.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Editor's Icon
Awarded
Named by our desk for a body of work we return to when we need to explain what screen acting is for.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Adventure Legend
Awarded
13 catalogue titles in adventure, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Dune: Part Two
as Chani
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Dune: Part Two
as Chani
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Challengers
as Tashi Donaldson
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Dune: Part Two
as Chani
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Dune: Part Two
as Chani
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
The Odyssey
as Athena
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Drama
as Emma
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Dune: Part Two
as Chani
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
Across the library
Every Nutevio collection this name turns up in, and how high they rank there.
Collection footprint
Appears in 5 Nutevio collections
Keep reading
director
Best Denis Villeneuve Movies
Features Dune: Part Two at #3
Read the collectiongenre
Adventure Movies
Features Dune: Part Two at #3
Read the collectiontheme
Best Space Movies
Features Dune: Part Two
Read the collectiongenre
Sci-Fi Movies
Features Dune: Part Two
Read the collectiongenre
Drama Movies
Features Dune: Part Two
Read the collectionFrom the magazine
If you like this performer
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Works with the same directors — Christopher Nolan
Florence Pugh
Works with the same directors — Denis Villeneuve
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Works with the same directors — Denis Villeneuve
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Works with the same directors — Christopher Nolan
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