Numerous auditions

Zendaya really wanted a role in ‘Descendants’

Zendaya should definitely star in the "Descendants" film series.(Bild: APA/Michael Tran / AFP)

Zendaya auditioned "many times" for roles in the "Descendants" movies, but it didn't "go her way".

The "Dune: Part Two" actress was already a teen star for Disney Channel thanks to shows like "Shake It Up" and "K.C. Undercover" and "really" wanted to be part of the network's movie series, which featured Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart and the late Cameron Boyce as the children of classic Disney villains.

Much effort invested
But her numerous attempts to land a role still didn't work. Cornelia Frame, the former vice president of casting and talent relations at Disney Channel, told the "Magical Rewind" podcast, "Zendaya auditioned many times for 'Descendants' and that was a big deal. I mean, a really big deal that she auditioned over and over again. She really wanted it and in the end it just didn't go her way."

Zendaya outfit from the Met Gala 2024 would fit perfectly in a "Descendants" movie ...(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Jamie McCarthy)

"Things happen for a reason"
Frame noted that Zendaya put "so much effort and so much work" into her auditions, but ultimately it was "just one of those things."

She believes the "Greatest Showman" actress' career would have been very different had she landed the unknown role, as it may have kept her from landing her first feature film role in "Spider-Man: Homecoming," in which she portrays MJ. She added: "Now that I think about it, I wonder, would 'Spider-Man' have happened at the exact same time? Things happen for a reason and you often book this other thing that's great when you don't get anything else."

Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts in "Descendants: The Rise Of Red"(Bild: Disney/Edward Herrera)

Brandy as Cinderella in "Descendants: The Rise Of Red"(Bild: Disney/Edward Herrera)

Malia Baker as Chloe and Kylie Cantrall as Red(Bild: Disney/Kwaku Alston)

Rita Ora as the evil Queen of Hearts
The original film "Descendants" was released in 2015 and was followed by sequels in 2017 and 2019 as well as the spin-offs "Descendants: The Royal Wedding" - an animated film - and the newly released film "Descendants: The Rise of Red", in which Rita Ora plays the evil Queen of Hearts from Wonderland and the singer Brandy Cinderella in a really great way.

And who knows, maybe there will also be a brilliant villain role for Zendeya in the future in the film series, in which the stories of the descendants of Disney villains, princes and princesses are told ...