Zendaya On Keeping Relationship with Tom Holland Private
In a new cover story for Elle, Zendaya explains why she keeps her relationship with Spider-Man star Tom Holland private.
“Parts of my life, I accept, are going to be public,” Zendaya said. “I can’t not be a person and live my life and love the person I love."
"But also, I do have control over what I choose to share," she continued. "It’s about protecting the peace and letting things be your own but also not being afraid to exist. You can’t hide. That’s not fun either. I am navigating it more than ever now.”
The Euphoria star, 26, also shared how her life has changed with the success of her Emmy-winning turn on the HBO series and as MJ in four Spider-Man films.
She says that she noticed "a visceral change" in her level of fame while shooting her new movie, Challengers in Boston.
“Before, I could get away with going places and getting in and out. But in Boston, I would end up going right back home because it was really overstimulating," she said. "Everybody would go hang out at a bar or something, and I’d be like, ‘I’d love to, but I think I could ruin everybody’s night. Because it’s just not going to be fun once I’m there.'
The young starlet has previously expressed her love for her fans, many of whom have watched her grow up.
In a cover interview for Vogue Italy's July 2022 issue, she said "Many of them have grown with me and have watched me evolve in different parts of my life and career and with that, many of us being around the same age, have similar outlooks on life, similar thoughts or even just hopes and wishes for the future, whether it be for my career or the world."
She added that her fans are "really understanding that I’m human, even the hardcore ones, and they want me to be happy and I genuinely feel that from them. They're really respectful of my boundaries and the things that I choose to keep a little bit more private and keep for myself.”
In her next film, Challengers, Zendaya plays Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, who has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event -- close to the lowest level of the tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.
Challengers is due out next spring.
