Zendaya Praises Boyfriend Tom Holland for Handling Fame at a Young Age “Beautifully”
“I definitely watched his life kind of change in front of him.”
Just on the heels of her press run for Dune: Part Two, Zendaya is on another press run for her forthcoming film Challengers—including already a slew of jaw-dropping looks (tennis inspired, of course, as the film centers around the sport) and a cover story for Vogue.
Inside that piece, typically private Zendaya opened up about her boyfriend, Tom Holland—also an actor—and praised him for how he handled the monstrosity that is fame, especially at a tender age: “We were both very, very young, but my career was already kind of going, and his changed overnight,” she said. “One day you’re a kid and you’re at the pub with your friends, and then the next day you’re Spider-Man.” (Zendaya and Holland starred together in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, 2019’s Spider-Man: Far from Home, and 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Holland played the superhero.)
She added of Holland, “I definitely watched his life kind of change in front of him. But he handled it really beautifully.”
Zendaya also said she plans to support Holland when he returns to London’s West End in a new production of Romeo & Juliet next month. “[I] could not be more proud,” she said. “I’m going to try to see as many shows as I possibly can.”
After meeting on the set of their first of three Spider-Man movies, it’s unclear when their relationship turned from merely co-stars to romantic—but publicly, they were confirmed to be a couple in July 2021.
Navigating their romance as the world watches has proven challenging for the couple, both of whom are protective of their personal lives. In her Vogue interview, Zendaya reflected on a trip they took to the Louvre in Paris, where they were advised that their fame might make crowds even worse at the famous museum. (Photos of the two holding hands went viral afterwards.) Zendaya and Holland decided to go anyway, not letting their celebrity interfere with their desire to live life together.
“It was actually fine,” she said. “You just kind of get used to the fact that, ‘Oh, I’m also one of those art pieces you’re going to take a picture of.’ I just gotta be totally cool with it and just live my life.”
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
Staffers let the couple stay after closing time, and “It was one of the coolest experiences ever,” Zendaya said. “It was like Night at the Museum.”
Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
Sabrina Carpenter's Micro Shorts Are a Slice of Fashion History
She was brave to trot it out at the height of winter.
By Kelsey Stiegman Published
-
Tom Parker Bowles Says Stepfather King Charles Could be "Fantastic" at Another Job if He Wasn't Monarch
Just imagine.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Cartier Celebrates 100 Years of Trinity With a Miami Pop-Up
A look inside the Art Basel event.
By Michaela Bushkin Published
-
Zendaya Says Working With Tom Holland Is "Second Nature"
Ughhh, these two!!!
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Zendaya Admits She Wouldn't Take Tom Holland to a Dance Class Because He's "Too Good"
Very relatable stuff.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Three Years In, Zendaya and Tom Holland Are “Rock Solid” and the “Real Deal”
There’s a key reason for their love story’s success.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Naomi Osaka Does Her Best Zendaya Impression After Watching 'Challengers'
Incredible.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Even Though Zendaya Says She’s Her “Own Worst Critic,” She Enjoys Watching Herself Onscreen
“For some reason, I enjoy watching the work back.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Zendaya and Tom Holland Have Discussed Marriage, Source Claims
But right now they're busy with work.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Zendaya Says Her Experiences at the Met Gala Have Been “Exciting”—But Also “Terrifying” and “Daunting”
After a five year hiatus, Zendaya will return to the Met this year as a co-chair of the event.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Zendaya Thinks It’s “Very Odd” That People Are So Interested in Her Onscreen Kissing Scenes
“If there was somebody else here, you probably wouldn’t ask that question.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published