Tom Holland and Zendaya attend the Los Angeles premiere of Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: No Way Home” on Dec. 13, 2021 in Los Angeles. Holland says Zendaya is more than a co-star as two major movies approach this summer. In a new interview, he called her his “lifeline” and described how their trust helped reshape a scene in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
Tom Holland says working with Zendaya has given him something rare in Hollywood: someone who understands the pressure from the inside.
Appearing on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast this week, Holland praised his Oakland-born co-star as a “fearless” actor and described her as essential to how he navigates the film industry.
Article continues below this ad
“It’s so nice to have someone that understands that in such a personal way so that you can talk each other down, or you can big each other up,” Holland said in the episode posted Tuesday, June 2. “It’s a lifeline. It really is. I couldn’t imagine doing what I do without her.”
The comments come ahead of a busy summer for Holland and Zendaya, who met while working on “Spider-Man: Homecoming” in 2016 and have been publicly linked for several years.
Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.
Add Preferred Source
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” which features both actors, opens July 17. Two weeks later, they return to the Marvel universe in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and scheduled for release July 31.
Holland told Poehler that his relationship with Zendaya affected one scene in the new “Spider-Man” film. After shooting his side of a scene, Holland said, the camera turned to Zendaya and he began to question whether the moment was working.
Article continues below this ad
“I would never ever dream of saying this to an actress that I wasn’t with,” Holland said. “So I said, ‘Do you think that this scene is working?’ And she was like, ‘No, I don’t think the scene is working at all.’”
Holland said he raised the concern with producers before approaching Cretton.
“I know we’ve been shooting for hours, and I hate to tell you this, but I just, I don’t think that this scene is working,” Holland recalled telling the director. “Z and I, like what we’re supposed to feel, we’re not feeling it in the moment.”
According to Holland, Cretton paused the shoot, rewrote the scene and had the cast return the next day to film it again.
Article continues below this ad
“I’m so glad that we did because it sings in the movie,” Holland said.
The story offered a rare glimpse into how the couple’s offscreen trust may shape their onscreen work. Holland and Zendaya have largely kept their relationship private, but both have spoken recently about returning to the “Spider-Man” set together.
In a May interview with Elle, Zendaya called filming the new “Spider-Man” movie “a dream,” saying she gets to work with “my best friend, the person that I love.”
Holland’s praise went beyond their partnership. He singled out Zendaya’s performances in “Euphoria” and “The Drama” as examples of the range he admires.
“I think she’s the best actor going,” Holland said. “I really think she has something special.”
Article continues below this ad
The new “Spider-Man” movie also appears to have benefited from Holland’s other major 2026 project.
In a GQ cover story published this week, Holland said he had to ask Sony Pictures chair Tom Rothman to delay “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” so he could appear in Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” Holland plays Telemachus in Nolan’s mythic epic. Zendaya also appears in the film, though Holland said they do not share scenes.
Holland told GQ that Sony agreed to move the Marvel production partly because of Nolan’s reputation for staying on schedule. He said the delay gave “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” time to bring in Cretton and further develop the script.
“‘The Odyssey’ almost saved ‘Spider-Man’ because we wouldn’t have had Destin,” Holland said. “We wouldn’t have had the six-month period to develop the script with Destin to get it to a place where it is now.”
Sony’s official synopsis describes “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” as a new chapter for Peter Parker after the events of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” with Peter living alone after erasing himself from the memories of the people he loves.
Article continues below this ad
For Holland, the back-to-back releases mark both a return to the role that made him a global star and a step into a different stage of his career.
He told GQ that making “The Odyssey” with Nolan changed how he wanted to work on “Spider-Man,” pushing him to ask harder questions about why the film was being made and how the story should be approached.
“I really feel like a young man now,” Holland told GQ. “I have a new perspective on where I want to exist in Hollywood.”
Credit: Source link