It’s been nearly nine years since Spider-Man: Homecoming’s release, and across those years, we’ve seen Tom Holland and Zendaya reach new heights in both their careers and their personal lives. Now, as they prepare to play Peter Parker and MJ once more in the upcoming superhero movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the actress is opening up about their relationship. More specifically, she’s getting real about the public’s opinion of and investment in her and her fiancé.
This conversation began when Zendaya was asked about people wondering if she and Tom Holland are married. That led to a greater discussion about how interested folks are in the celebrity couple. Reflecting on all this during the Modern Love podcast, The Drama star said:
Well, I just feel like, for me, there is a level of a parasocial investment in my personal relationship, which I understand. And I do know that — I am aware that I’m a public person, and so is he. And I’m also aware that we’ve grown up in front of people, and we’ve done movies where we fall in love with each other. So it’s like, I really do understand that, and I don’t want to dismiss that, like, ‘Stay out of my business,’ or whatever. But in a lot of ways, I also am a very private person. And I try my best to be able to have things for myself, and for him as well.
Now, there have been rumors about Tom Holland and Zendaya’s relationship since 2017. While we’ve obviously gotten confirmation over the years about them being together and getting engaged, for the most part, these two are very private.
Article continues belowYes, they have played love interests in three Spider-Man movies, and they’re about to reprise those roles this summer when Brand New Day premieres on the 2026 movie schedule. So, the interest in their real-life relationship makes sense. However, as Tom Holland said, he and Zendaya’s relationship is “sacred” to them, and they want to keep things private. The Challengers actress spoke to that point as well on this podcast, explaining:
And so we do our best, in general, to not hide ourselves from the world, but just to, I think, preserve things for ourselves so that we can maintain that joy just within ourselves, and our loved ones, and our family. So that’s kind of my broad way of just saying, I hear it, but I also like my own little boundaries of what I like to bring up and talk about, but then also, what I’m also willing to share.
It makes perfect sense why these two are so protective of their privacy. They are very famous folks, and people are going to pay attention anytime they’re seen publicly. Plus, with both Holland and Zendaya releasing multiple projects this year (two of which they’re starring in together with Spider-Man and The Odyssey), their relationship is bound to come up. So, I get why there are some things they work very hard to keep to themselves.
On the flip side, they also get why fans love them so much. So, it’s not like they’re hiding. Holland hypes up Zendaya’s movies on social media, and they both speak fairly openly about each other. Boundaries are important, though, especially when it comes to “parasocial investment” in a “personal relationship,” so I understand and applaud the point the actress made here.
Now, with all that said and done, if you’d like to see this power couple working together, you’ll be able to catch The Odyssey in theaters on July 17, and then they’ll both be in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which premieres on July 31.
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