Zendaya and Tom Holland, stars of the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, did a photo shoot with The Hollywood Reporter and it’s every type of adorable. For starters, Zendaya looked totally glam in a bejeweled gown and sleek old-Hollywood curls. More important, she and her co-worker — Tomdaya, as I’ve dubbed this duo — have insane chemistry. “She’s one of the most professional and hardworking people I’ve ever met in my life,” Tom gushed of Z. Here are more of the best nuggets from their joint interview.
Zendaya had to audition for her role (but was cast instantly).
Tryouts don’t get much better than Z’s, said Tom. “We were at the screen test for Spider-Man and we did the first scene together, and I think the producers cast her, like, then,” he recalled. “Before she even left the room they knew she was going to play her character.” Um, if that’s not a testament to Zendaya’s talent, what is?!
Zendaya and Tom’s first meeting was super awkward — for Tom.
“My first meeting with Zendaya was very embarrassing, actually, for me,” Tom said. “It was just one of those moments where it just wasn’t my smoothest moment.” Not quite sure what Tom is getting at, but lucky for him, the details are just as vague for Zendaya. She claims to have no memory of the alleged awkward encounter.
Z insists her role is not “romantic,” whatever that means.
There’s an ongoing rumor that Z’s character’s name, Michelle, is actually a code name to keep the fact that she’s playing Mary Jane Watson, a.k.a. Peter Parker’s longtime love interest in the comic books, under wraps. If the rumors prove true, Z would be the first black actress to portray the iconic character.
Z neither confirmed nor denied the rumor, but she did clarify one detail: “My character is not romantic,” Zendaya replied when asked if she would romance Peter on-screen. “My character is, like, very dry. Awkward. Intellectual. And because she’s so smart, she just feels like she doesn’t need to talk to people.”
Still, I can’t help feeling that Z might be trying to throw fans off the scent. Since Spider-Man is going to be a franchise, the platonic status of Z’s character could change in a future installment. Are you playing the long game, Z?!
Rumors about the film make Zendaya laugh.
During shooting, curious reporters were constantly trying to suss out the film’s character details. “Whenever we were on set, one of us gets some random character name [on the call sheet] [Bloggers were] like, ‘Oh, they must be so and so,'” Z said of the media speculation. “And we just crack up about it, because it’s like, ‘Whatever you want to think. You’ll find out.’ It’s funny to watch the guessing game.”
Z would love to see a black Mary Jane, even if she doesn’t play her.
“People are going to react over anything,” Z said when asked about the outrage from a faction of fans who freaked at the idea of Z portraying MJ because the character is traditionally white. “But of course there’s going to be outrage over that because for some reason some people just aren’t ready.”
While the rest of us wait to see whether she is indeed playing that role, Z says she supports the idea wholeheartedly. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know what America you live in, but from what I see when I walk outside my streets of New York right now, I see lots of diversity and I see the real world and it’s beautiful,” she declared. “That’s what should be reflected and that’s what is reflected, so you’re just going to have to get over it.”
Check out your new fave movie duo in action below!
