Zendaya Shares How Raven-Symoné Inspired Her — and Reveals She Recently WatchedCheetah Girlswith Her Niece

Mar. 15, 2025

Zendaya and Raven-Symoné on ‘K.C. Undercover’ in 2015.Photo:Tony Rivetti/Disney Channel via Getty

Tony Rivetti/Disney Channel via Getty

Zendaya’s expressive face has spawned many a viral moment online.According to the actress, she learned from the best, citing fellow actressRaven-Symonéin her recent sit-down withVanity Fair.“I will say I did grow up watching Raven-Symoné, who I think is one of the queens of facial expression,” she shares, imitating the Disney starlet’sThat’s So Ravensignature catchphrase, “Ya nasty!““It’s in me. I grew up like this. She was so phenomenal,” theChallengersactress continues. “What I appreciate about her comedy in that show is you can watch it now and it holds up. My little niece is … is she 8 now? I had her watchThe Cheetah Girlsfor the first time the other day.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Zendaya in March 2024.Paras Griffin/GettyThe actress admits her niece wasn’t completely sold on it.“To be honest, she was like, ‘Why areyouso into it?’ I was doing the dances, the whole thing,” Zendaya admits, busting into singing “I don’t want to be like Cinderella” mid-interview."[My niece] was like, ‘Umm… Auntie. Girl. Calm down.’ “Zendaya’s fandom runs deep, with her sharing, “I used to be a Cheetah Girl myself. Literally, with my three friends in school, we were the Cheetah Girls.““We would rehearse outside because there were sliding-glass windows in the auditorium, and we would rehearse in our reflection. We tried to audition other girls. It was really serious. We did a performance for Grandparents Day. It was real.“Like Raven-Symoné, Zendaya grew up in part on the Disney Channel, starring inShake It Upfrom 2010 to 2013 and later in the Disney Channel Original MovieFrenemies,in addition to other 2010s projects on the network.

Zendaya’s expressive face has spawned many a viral moment online.

According to the actress, she learned from the best, citing fellow actressRaven-Symonéin her recent sit-down withVanity Fair.

“I will say I did grow up watching Raven-Symoné, who I think is one of the queens of facial expression,” she shares, imitating the Disney starlet’sThat’s So Ravensignature catchphrase, “Ya nasty!”

“It’s in me. I grew up like this. She was so phenomenal,” theChallengersactress continues. “What I appreciate about her comedy in that show is you can watch it now and it holds up. My little niece is … is she 8 now? I had her watchThe Cheetah Girlsfor the first time the other day.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Zendaya in March 2024.Paras Griffin/Getty

Paras Griffin/Getty

The actress admits her niece wasn’t completely sold on it.

“To be honest, she was like, ‘Why areyouso into it?’ I was doing the dances, the whole thing,” Zendaya admits, busting into singing “I don’t want to be like Cinderella” mid-interview.

“[My niece] was like, ‘Umm… Auntie. Girl. Calm down.’ "

Zendaya’s fandom runs deep, with her sharing, “I used to be a Cheetah Girl myself. Literally, with my three friends in school, we were the Cheetah Girls.”

“We would rehearse outside because there were sliding-glass windows in the auditorium, and we would rehearse in our reflection. We tried to audition other girls. It was really serious. We did a performance for Grandparents Day. It was real.”

Like Raven-Symoné, Zendaya grew up in part on the Disney Channel, starring inShake It Upfrom 2010 to 2013 and later in the Disney Channel Original MovieFrenemies,in addition to other 2010s projects on the network.

source: people.com