Zendaya Auditioned For Descendants "Many Times" But Disney Passed On Her

31 July 2024, 14:49

By Sam Prance

"She auditioned over and over. She really wanted it, and it just ended up not going her way."

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Zendaya was almost in Descendants and they didn't cast her?!! According to a Disney exec, she auditioned multiple times.

There's no denying that Descendants is one of Disney's most beloved franchises. Following in the footsteps of High School Musical and Camp Rock, Descendants came with an all-star Disney Channel cast and an iconic soundtrack to match. The films star Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Cameron Boyce and BooBoo Stewart as the kids of legendary Disney villains.

Now, former vice president of casting and talent relations at Disney Channel, Cornelia Frame, has revealed that Zendaya tried out for the films but was never cast in them.

Read more: Zendaya Opens Up About The Weight Of Being Her Family's Breadwinner As A Child

Descendants: The Rise of Red trailer

Appearing on the Magical Rewind podcast, Cornelia explained that Zendaya auditioned many times for an undisclosed role in Descendants. Cornelia teased: "Zendaya did audition many times for Descendants, and that was a big deal. I mean, a really big deal that she auditioned over and over. She really wanted it, and it just ended up not going her way."

The first Descendants movie came out in 2015. At the time, Zendaya had finished her time on Shake It Up and was playing the lead in K.C. Undercover. When Descendants 2 then came out in 2017, Zendaya landed major roles in The Greatest Showman and Spider-Man: Homecoming and then went on to appear in Euphoria and the Dune movies.

Cornelia said that Zendaya "put so much effort and so much work" into her auditions.

Zendaya in Disney Channel&squot;s "K.C. Undercover" — Zendaya in Disney Channel's "K.C. Undercover". Picture: Eric McCandless/Disney Channel via Getty Images

Cornelia added: "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."

Which part do you think Zendaya auditioned for in Descendants?