Zendaya Says Her First Met Gala Was ‘Terrifying’ and ‘Daunting’

Zendaya is getting candid about what her first Met Gala experience in 2015 was really like.

During an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark that aired on Tuesday, April 23, the 27-year-old actress revealed that behind all of the glamor, she was a bundle of nerves.

“I first went when I was 18 years old,” she told hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. “It was such an exciting and new experience but still terrifying, you know? […] Going up the steps, it’s very daunting.”

Zendaya added that she is looking forward to attending the Met Gala this year after a five year hiatus. The last time she went in 2019, her light-up Cinderella dress, complete with a magic wand, completely stole the show on the red carpet.

The Challengers star also made sure to give a shout out to her stylist of 13 years, Law Roach, who was behind all five of her Met Gala looks (she attended every year between 2015 and 2019).

Despite her nerves during her first Met Gala in 2015, Zendaya looked picture perfect in a black and red gown by Fausto Puglisi. The mini dress featured a plunging neckline, ultra-flared skirt and a matching long train adorned with suns. She accessorized with spiky gold jewelry and an artful headband.

Although the Met Gala’s May 6 date is looming, Roach, 45, told Vogue on April 9 that they have “no confirmed designer” and “no sketch” for Zendaya’s outfit.

This year’s theme is “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” and the dress code is “The Garden of Time.”

The exhibit will feature roughly 250 pieces that span over 400 years of time. According to the head curator of the Costume Institute, Andrew Bolton, the clothing will be categorized into three different sections — Land, Sea and Sky. “It is very much an ode to nature and the emotional poetics of fashion,” he told Vogue in a February 15 interview.