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Style April 9, 2024

Zendaya is the cover star of British and American Vogue

WATCH: Our favorite Zendaya moments

Zendaya dazzles as the May cover star of both American and British Vogue.

For the American Vogue issue, which was photographed by Annie Leibovitz, the two-time Emmy winning actress appears in a red Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda dress for the cover shot.

In additional images from the spread, Zendaya, who is a co-chair for this year's Met Gala, shows off her incredible fashion sense and talent posing in front of the camera.

MORE: Zendaya glows in green at 'Challengers' Australia premiere

The fashion editor for the shoot was her longtime stylist and fashion collaborator Law Roach, who told the outlets, "What she allows me to do is to come up with the big story, the big idea, and she takes that and she whittles it down a bit."

PHOTO: Zendaya is the cover star of the May issue of American Vogue.
Annie Leibovitz/Vogue
Zendaya is the cover star of the May issue of American Vogue.

Zendaya's British Vogue shoot was photographed by Carlijn Jacobs and leans more into "sports luxe," according to a press release. Roach also styled the shoot.

PHOTO: Zendaya featured in the May issue of British Vogue.
Carlijn Jacobs/British Vogue
Zendaya featured in the May issue of British Vogue.

Describing the persona she takes on when she steps in front of the camera, Zendaya told the outlets, "She's a different being that comes into me -- my own Sasha Fierce ... I have to buy that this woman exists, or that this fantasy exists."

"I got to get into a zone of being that part of myself, which is definitely not a thousand percent natural," she said.

In one particularly striking image from the American Vogue shoot, the actress models a white Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown.

PHOTO: Zendaya is the cover star of the May issue of American Vogue.
Annie Leibovitz/Vogue
Zendaya is the cover star of the May issue of American Vogue.

Despite Zendaya's tendency to take over any carpet she steps on and make it a fashion moment, Roach that "she has always been the same person."

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"It's so funny. People were like, 'Oh, she's so fierce.' And, yeah, she is, on the inside," he told the outlets. "But she'd rather be at home, with her hair down and no makeup, with Noon, her dog, watching a movie, probably Harry Potter."

PHOTO: Zendaya is the cover star of the May issue of American Vogue.
Annie Leibovitz/Vogue
Zendaya is the cover star of the May issue of American Vogue.
PHOTO: Zendaya is the cover star of the May issue of American Vogue.
Annie Leibovitz/Vogue
Zendaya is the cover star of the May issue of American Vogue.

The actress, who stars in the upcoming film "Challengers" from director Luca Guadagnino, also spoke about transforming into her character.

MORE: See Zendaya in the official trailer for 'Challengers'

In the film she plays a tennis star turned coach following a devastating injury; she told Vogue that the role deviated from other characters she plays: "Typically, I play the person that ultimately is easier to empathise with ... There was something about her that felt very, 'Oh, damn,' ... even I was kind of scared of her."

PHOTO: Zendaya featured in the May issue of British Vogue.
Carlijn Jacobs/British Vogue
Zendaya featured in the May issue of British Vogue.

Also touching on the topic of privacy during the interview, Zendaya spoke about how she's adjusted to her life -- and her trendsetting looks -- under a constant microscope.

"You just kind of get used to the fact that, 'Oh, I'm also one of these art pieces you're going to take a picture of,'" she shared after discussing a time she visited the Louvre with her boyfriend Tom Holland and photographs from their trip went viral. "I just gotta be totally cool with it and just live my life."

PHOTO: Zendaya featured in the May issue of British Vogue.
Carlijn Jacobs/British Vogue
Zendaya featured in the May issue of British Vogue.

The actress said that she's gotten better about establishing boundaries and maintaining her privacy but admitted, "I don't necessarily want my kids to have to deal with this."

She told the outlets while discussing the future that her ideal scenario would be 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."

Both issues of American and British Vogue hit newsstands nationwide on April 23.