Tom Holland says he’d wouldn’t be able to navigate his career without Zendaya by his side.
When stopping by the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, the actor discussed working alongside Zendaya and how witnessing her “fearless” approach inspires his own work. “She’s just like absolutely 10 toes down. Like, ‘I’m going to give this everything,’” Holland said.
“I think when you watch her as Rue in [Euphoria], she could not be more different to who she is in real life. Then if you see her as Emma in The Drama, it’s just such a different performance, but with no less intent or passion or drive.” The actor added, “I think she’s the best actor going. I really think she has something special.”
Holland and Poehler also delved into the benefits of working with a partner in the same profession, with Holland detailing how Zendaya has helped him with the industry’s “wild world.” “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,” he said. “It’s a lifeline. It really is. I couldn’t imagine doing what I do without her.”
As an example of the perks of their relationship at work, Holland shared an experience he and Zendaya had when filming the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day with director Destin Daniel Cretton. After filming his side of a scene and turning the camera to Zendaya, Holland took a moment to reassess.
“We’re doing her coverage, and 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.’ So I then went to the producers and asked, ‘Do you think the scene is working?’”
When the producers agreed that the scene needed to be changed, Holland went to director Cretton and told him, “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. Z and I, like what we’re supposed to feel, we’re not feeling it in the moment.’”
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Praising the director’s “calm” approach to his suggestions, Cretton ultimately paused filming, rewrote the scene, and reshot it the following day. “I’m so glad that we did because it sings in the movie, it really does,” Holland said.
While Zendaya and Holland, who have worked together on both The Odyssey (although, they don’t share any scenes) and Brand New Day, remain a mostly private couple, they have not shied away from praising each other in the press. In a May interview with Elle, Zendaya called working together on the set of Spider-Man “a dream.” She elaborated, “I get to go to work every day with my best friend, the person that I love. We bring our dogs to work; it’s like a family affair. We grew up on those movies! It’s like coming home.”
From Rolling Stone US
