Tom Holland opened up about his relationship with "Spider-Man" costar Zendaya and said that they can relate to each other because of their similar experiences with fame.
"I'm lucky that I have someone like Zendaya in my life," Holland said during an interview on Monday's episode of the Wondery podcast called "Smartless," hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. "It's interesting being in a romantic relationship with someone that is in the same boat as you. You can share your experiences and all that sort of stuff. And that's worth its weight in gold."
Holland's comments were sparked by Hayes asking the 27-year-old actor if he feels any pressure or obligation to be a role model, given his massive following and attention on him.
"I understand the responsibility," Holland said.
Holland and Zendaya met through their roles as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and MJ, respectively, in Sony and Marvel's most recent reboot of the "Spider-Man" franchise.
The actors first shared the screen in the 2017 movie "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and costarred in two sequels, "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019) and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021).
Over the years, the pair shut down dating reports and insisted that their relationship was platonic. Holland also repeatedly credited Zendaya, who rose to fame as a Disney Channel star, with helping him navigate the spotlight after he was cast as Spider-Man.
"She was so helpful in the process of my life changing, because not only are you making big films and you're traveling the world, but everyone starts to know who you are. And you have to behave differently," he told Backstage in 2021. "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."
"It was so wonderful to have someone like her in my corner, to help me grow through that process," he said.
Then in July 2021, their dynamic was revealed to be romantic after they were photographed kissing in an Audi driven by Holland.
Months later, in a cover story for GQ's Men of the Year issue, Holland said that he and Zendaya "sort of felt robbed of our privacy" when paparazzi took photos of them that summer.
"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," Holland said.
Since then, the actors have generally remained tight-lipped about their relationship. But that doesn't stop them from going viral when they're caught sightseeing at the Louvre Museum or serenading each other while at a Beyoncé concert.
More recently, Holland has mentioned their relationship in interviews, without sharing too many details.
"Our relationship is something that we are incredibly protective of and we want to keep as sacred as possible," he told The Hollywood Reporter in a feature that was published in June. "We don't think that we owe it to anyone, it's our thing, and it has nothing to do with our careers."
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Holland said that he has "no rizz whatsoever," but it's fine because "I'm happy and in love, so I've got no need for rizz," referring to an internet slang term that's short for "charisma."
