Zendaya recently appeared on the New York Times’ Modern Love podcast with her “The Drama” co-star Robert Pattinson, where she talked about her relationship with Tom Holland. The two A-list stars have been in the spotlight ever since Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach claimed on the red carpet at the Actors Awards in March that “the wedding has already taken place.” Although neither star has opened up about their marriage, Zendaya spoke fondly on her podcast about how she knows Holland is the perfect partner.
“I knew this person was my person because I wasn’t nervous when I was with them,” she said. “I feel really peaceful and calm. Oh, I actually feel more nervous when I’m away from you than when I’m with you.”
Zendaya said she “first met” Holland at the audition, adding, “So I was pretty nervous anyway, but he made me feel at ease…just being a nice guy, you know? He makes me feel comfortable. I mean, it’s like having to do chemical analysis for a big movie like that.I was like, oh, do you really want this job?And yes, he was really nice at that time.
The audition was for 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, with Holland headlining his first Marvel tentpole as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and Zendaya making her debut as MJ in the series. The two will reprise their roles in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home and 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. This summer, the two will co-star in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
“I feel like I’m biased because I’ve literally been able to grow up with the people I love and get to know them, from when I was a teenager until now,” Zendaya said of working with and getting to know Holland for nearly a decade. “So, of course, I feel like we’re going to change and we’re going to grow and whatever life is like. But I feel like there’s a bond and a connection where you know someone at least enough to feel safe together.”
In March, it was revealed that Roach was getting married, and the attention on Zendaya and Holland suddenly increased. An AI photo depicting the couple’s wedding went viral on social media, but Zendaya was later forced to confirm that it wasn’t real.
“There’s a level of parasocial investment in my personal relationship. I understand that, and I know that I’m a public figure, and so does he. I also know that we’ve done movies in front of people growing up and falling in love with each other,” Zendaya said of the public interest in her romance with Holland. “I really understand that, and I don’t want to dismiss it as, ‘Stay out of business.’ But in many ways, I’m also a very private person, so I try my best to have things for myself and for him as well.”
“I think we generally keep things just for ourselves, rather than hiding ourselves from the world, so that we can keep the joy just for ourselves and our loved ones and our families. So that’s kind of my broad sense of saying, ‘I hear that,’ but I also like my own little boundaries around what I want to cover and talk about, but also what I want to share.” ”
Listen to Zendaya and Pattinson’s full interview on the Modern Love podcast here.
