Documentarian Morgan Spurlock spent months with the members of One Direction to film the 2013 movie This Is Us. The director is now offering his thoughts on Zayn Malik's departure based on the time he spent with the group. Spurlock suspected that life on the road was wearing the singer down.
"I was with them for six months and it's an exhausting lifestyle," he told Entertainment Weekly. "And I think that it just gets hard after a while, for someone, probably like Zayn, who is a homebody already, but is also incredibly talented, the allure of being able to potentially leave and become a solo artist in the midst of all your success is probably better than waiting till the end."
Malik confirmed his split from the boy band last week. It appears the singer will pursue a career in hip-hop following his departure.
"He always struggled with being on the road," Spurlock added. "He's a homebody. He wanted nothing more than to sit in his house and spray paint and draw and do art, and I think this explosion that happened to him -- which was something none of them ever predicted, But I think he was the one who struggled with it the most. And being away, being on the road, being away from his girlfriend I think finally just got to him, and I think he said, 'I'm done.'"
The former 1D member shared his first solo tune, "I Won't Mind," earlier this week. Producer Naughty Boy is reportedly working on Malik's debut album.
This Is Us grossed nearly $29 million in the United States and about $69 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The film was released as a 3-D movie and highlighted the group's rise to stardom.
Prior to Malik's departure, One Direction released its fourth studio album, Four, in November.
