Tom Holland Said Zendaya Is His 'Shoulder To Cry On' While Coping With Fame

Feb 17, 2022 by apost team

In recent years superhero films have taken the world by storm and the "Spider-Man" franchise is one of the most popular movie franchises in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The title character is currently played by English actor Tom Holland who is dating his on-screen love interest and co-star, Zendaya. The couple has experienced a lot since the first "Spider-Man" film was released in 2017. They have risen to international fame and become household names. The pair lean on each other when times are tough and cope with the pressures of being famous together.

Holland was born in the town of Kingston upon Thames, England, in June 1996. When he was a child he took dance lessons and was spotted by a choreographer during a dance performance. The actor rose to fame playing the lead in "Billy Elliot the Musical." Holland did not experience the widespread recognition he does now until he got the role of Spider-Man.

Zendaya was born in September 1996 in Oakland, California. She got her start in the entertainment industry playing Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel original series "Shake It Up." She went on to play the lead role in the HBO series "Euphoria," for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She is the youngest person to ever take home the award.

In interviews, Holland can't help but sing Zendaya's praises every chance he gets and she also has something good to say about him as well. In 2021, Zendaya and Holland confirmed their relationship. Keep reading to find out more about how they support each other and why Holland says Zendaya is his "shoulder to cry on."

Because Zendaya had been working in Hollywood longer than Holland, she was able to set a good example for him. "Having her in my life was so instrumental to my sanity," Holland said to GQ. "She is so good at being the role model for young guys and girls. When anyone comes up, like, 'Can I have a picture?' It's never a bad time. Whereas my initial reaction was: 'Why are you talking to me? Leave me alone.'"

Holland always has something sweet to say about his co-star and girlfriend during interviews. When he saw Zendaya on the red carpet for the London photocall for "Spider-Man: No Way Home," he said, "There she is, looking beautiful, might I add—as ever… (She's) very wise, she's like an owl. She's like a wise owl."

Zendaya agreed with the sentiment, saying, "Yeah, I guess, you know, listen, I have an old soul. I always have. People call me grandma, and I will take that."

For Holland, Zendaya's support has carried him through the challenges of rising to international fame at such a young age. "The biggest way (she helped) is just companionship, you know, like two friends coming together, like experiencing this world, going through the same problems at the same time, having a shoulder to cry on," he said. "It has been a huge thing for the pair of us and with Jacob (Batalon) as well. We really are a family. And you know, becoming famous at the age of 19, but this is a different kind of famous. There's not a corner of the world that Spider-Man hasn't touched so it's a lot to take in so it's really nice for me to have a family to share that with."

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Zendaya agrees that the care and attentiveness she and Holland give one another is the best part of their relationship. She shared:

"I think one is just by supporting, you know, just being there. I think sometimes you just have to be a person to vent to, someone to just be there and listen. And another thing is like, I was lucky enough to where my life didn't change overnight. I started when I was young (on the Disney Channel) so it was kind of like a slow progression so I kind of got to learn it as I went and figure it out and get my footing a little bit whereas, for him, it was so much all at once because when you're Spider-Man, that's kind of how it works. It's like you're Spider-Man, your life changes much like this movie so I have an extreme amount of empathy for that. So anything that I learned or have learned or continue to learn I share with him and anything he learns, he shares with me."

Holland said his biggest influence from an acting mentor came from Robert Downey Jr., but Zendaya would be second. Holland explained: 

"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. 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."

Are you a fan of the "Spider-Man" movies? Did you know that Tom Holland and Zendaya are dating? Let us know and feel free to pass this on to your friends and family.