Everything Zendaya and Tom Holland Have Said About Each Other, From Friends to Lovers

November 2021

In an interview with GQ in November, Tom discussed the viral photo of him and Zendaya kissing and that they “sort of felt robbed of our privacy.” He continued: “One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn’t really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world. I’ve always been really adamant to keep my private life private because I share so much of my life with the world anyway.” Tom also added that the reason he didn’t want to say too much about their relationship without her is that he “[respects] her too much.”

Zendaya was dialed in by GQ, where she shared over the phone that speaking about their relationship was “quite strange and weird and confusing and invasive.” She added: “The equal sentiment [we both share] is just that when you really love and care about somebody, some moments or things, you wish were your own. . . . I think loving someone is a sacred thing and a special thing and something that you want to deal with and go through and experience and enjoy amongst the two people that love each other.”

February 2021

Earlier this year, Tom and Zendaya were still denying romance rumours. Speaking to British GQ, Tom admitted that it’s “incredibly frustrating” to deal with the speculation that they are dating. “It means that if you are dating someone, you have to be really conscious of their feelings, because if something does happen between the two of you, it’s not just happening between the two of you, it’s happening in front of the entire world,” he explained. “And it can be very complicated. It’s one of the things I worry about most, of all the things in my career.”

August 2017

Rumours of Zendaya and Tom’s relationship took off soon before the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, which means the pair had spent years denying they were anything but friends. The actress understood the speculation, telling Entertainment Tonight in Aug. 2017: “It happens all the time, and of course we expected it. I mean, it comes with the territory. It comes with the job, so it’s all good.”

November 2021

Tom gushed over Zendaya’s outfit to the CFDA Fashion Awards in November, where she was honoured with the fashion icon of the year award. “Naaa stop it ?. An incredible achievement for the most incredible person,” he wrote alongside a photo of her from the red carpet. “Congrats @zendaya and @luxurylaw you guys deserve every bit of this.”

August 2017

While dodging romance rumours, Zendaya said during an interview with Variety in 2017 that Tom is “literally one of my best friends.” She added, “This past how[ever] many months, we’ve had to do press tours together. There’s very few people that will understand what that’s like at 20 years old.”

Zendaya also opened up about their first time meeting. “He says when we first met it was super awkward because he went for a handshake and I went for a hug,” she said. “But I don’t remember that. I thought it was cool.”

October 2021

Zendaya spoke to InStyle in October and revealed that even on days she wasn’t acting, the Spider-Man director let her come to observe. One thing that always stood out to her, she said, is watching Tom to “see how he cares so much about his work and making it right,” noting that he’d always come back to the monitors to watch what his fight sequences looked like. “He’d do a move, come back to the monitors, watch it, and say, ‘I can do that better.’ I’d be like, ‘Dude, you got it.’ But he wants us to be perfect, and I really appreciate that,” Zendaya said.

February 2021

Zendaya cheered on Tom for taking on more mature roles, such as his army medic turned war veteran role in Cherry. “It’s very hard to watch, because you’re like, ‘Dang, that’s my friend and I’m seeing him every day as Peter Parker.’ It’s brutal. But he took on the challenge beautifully,” she told Esquire. “Once people get to see this version of Tom Holland, what’s next? Sky’s the limit.”

Meanwhile, Tom credited Zendaya for helping him during “life-changing” moments and dealing with fame. “Not only are you making big films and you’re travelling the world, but everyone starts to know who you are. And you have to behave differently,” he told Backstage, adding, “You have a responsibility to kind of uphold this idea of being a role model to young kids. And, arguably, she’s the best at that. You can’t really find anything against Zendaya, she’s kind of like the perfect person. It was so wonderful to have someone like her in my corner, to help me grow through that process.”

In February, he also opened up the career changes he and Zendaya are undergoing, telling British GQ, “Zendaya and I are going through similar things in our career, having taken on more adult roles to now come back to Spider-Man. I am so proud of what she has accomplished with Euphoria and also Malcolm & Marie.”