Zendaya Coleman–known to her fans simply as Zendaya–believes she is the perfect fit for her role as Aaliyah in an upcoming film about the late singer’s life. It was announced on Monday that she had won the role.
“I really want it to be perfect for her and show young people what she was able to do and what she accomplished,” the Disney Channel star said in an interview Tuesday, of her role as the late R&B singer.
The old adage “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” even comes into play.
Zendaya said she’s the right choice to play Aaliyah because “if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.”
It was back in 2001 when Aaliyah died after the plane she was in crashed after takeoff in the Bahamas. She was a big star on the R&B and pop charts, having made platinum-plus albums. Her hits included songs like ‘Try Again,’ ‘Back & Forth,’ and ‘Are You That Somebody?’
Zendaya is well aware that Aaliyah fans will be scrutinizing her work in the upcoming film. Aaliyah’s family isn’t happy about the film being made, saying a made-for-TV movie isn’t good enough for the late singer. They have even hired attorneys to stop production.
The family, however, doesn’t want Zendaya to be blasted for playing the role, noting she is simply doing her job.
However ,we do ask that you are respectful to the artist playing the role, for they may not fully have or know the details about this role
— Aaliyah (@AaliyahHaughton) June 17, 2014
“I can’t please everybody … what I can do is work really hard and you know, just continue to show her legacy,” the former Dancing With the Stars contestant said. Zendaya was a runner-up on the dance competition show last year.
I'm just a 17 year old girl who got cast to play one of her biggest inspirations #positive
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) June 17, 2014
beautiful story, and make her proud up in heaven #babygirl #forever #OneInAMillion
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) June 16, 2014
Show how much she accomplished in only 22 years….she's beautiful inside and there will never be another Aaliyah, I just hope to share her
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) June 16, 2014
She's been an inspiration and influence in my whole career, her talent still shines brighter then ever, all I wanna do is honor her
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) June 16, 2014
Were you a fan of Aaliyah? Can you see Disney’s Zendaya playing the role? She was almost five years old when the singer died, however her older sister was a big fan and would constantly play the music when babysitting a very small Zendaya.
The Shake It Up star released an album last year and a cut from it, ‘Replay,’ went platinum. There’s no question that the 17-year-old is very talented.
Shooting will begin this summer for the film about Aaliyah. It will be based on the book Aaliyah: More Than A Woman.
Image via Instagram
