Entertainment Movies Zendaya Says She Thinks of Her 'Little Nieces and Nephews' as Her 'Borrowed Children' (Exclusive) PEOPLE spoke to the actress at the London premiere of 'Challengers' at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square By Esme Mazzeo and Gabrielle Rockson Gabrielle Rockson Gabrielle Rockson is a staff writer-reporter for PEOPLE. She joined PEOPLE in 2023 and covers entertainment and human interest stories. She's interviewed David Beckham, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet and many others. Her previous work can be found in OK! Magazine, MyLondon, GRM Daily, and more. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 11, 2024 01:13PM EDT Close Zendaya. Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Zendaya looked to her family for inspiration to play a mother for the first time. At the premiere of her upcoming film Challengers at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on Wednesday, April 10, the actress, 27, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about the children in her life who helped her tap into her maternal instincts when playing a former tennis prodigy and young mother in the new film. "I have many, many little nieces and nephews. So they're like my borrowed children," Zendaya says. She went on to confess one of the biggest perks of being an aunt. "I get to have fun and then give them back to their parents," she says, adding that she was also inspired by watching "the mothers in my life and around me" parent their kids. Zendaya Takes Outfit Inspo from Carrie Bradshaw for 'Challengers’ Promo — and Debuts Blonde Bangs As for her future parenting style, the Euphoria star admitted in a recent interview with British Vouge that she doesn't want her hypothetical children to have to "deal with" the intensity and lack of privacy that comes with her level of fame. Ideally, in the future, the actress would like to be able to "make things and pop out when I need to pop out, and then have a safe and protected life with my family, and not be worried that if I’m not delivering something all the time, or not giving all the time, that everything’s going to go away." She went on to explain a fear she has about her career success fading. Challengers. Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Zendaya Reflects on Being Her Family's 'Breadwinner' at an Early Age: 'I Wish I Went to School' "I think that’s always been a massive anxiety of mine: this idea that people will just be like, 'Actually, I know I’ve been with you since you were 14, but I’m over you now because you’re boring,'" the former child star confessed. Zendaya finds herself in the middle of an intense love triangle in Challengers, which centers on "three players who knew each other when they were teenagers as they compete in a tennis tournament to be the world-famous grand slam winner and reignite old rivalries on and off the court.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The film’s director, Luca Guadagnino, shared with Variety in October 2022 how intensely the Dune star trained to play a tennis prodigy, revealing that she “spent like three months” training with pro tennis coach and former player Brad Gilbert. Her dedication paid off. “I mean, wow. We edited the movie and we almost actually don’t use any of her double. She’s so good," Guadagnino, 52, revealed.