Zendaya, 24, got more than she could’ve ever bargained for when she joined the Spider-Man films. In a July 9 interview with E!’s Daily Pop, the actress spoke highly about her experience filming Spider-Man: No Way Home, the upcoming third installment in the blockbuster film franchise, alongside co-stars Tom Holland, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, and more. “We were just absorbing and taking the time to enjoy the moment, being with each other and being so grateful for that experience,” Zendaya said. “When we did the first movie, I was 19. It’s been pretty special to have grown up together.”
Zendaya, who plays MJ in the Spider-Man films, also said that the cast especially appreciated filming the upcoming action movie — which hits theaters on Dec. 17 — since it could very well could be the final film in the franchise. “It was kind of bittersweet. We don’t know if we’re gonna do another one,” she shared in the interview. “Is it just going to be three and done? Normally you do three movies and that’s pretty much it,” she added.
Zendaya’s interview comes after she and Tom, 25, sparked dating rumors following two separate outings together. On July 1, the co-stars were photographed making out and making each other laugh while sitting in Tom’s parked car in Los Angeles. Three days later, they enjoyed a Thai dinner date together on the Fourth of July. They haven’t yet addressed their apparent romance, but Marvel fans are very happy that the pair’s onscreen chemistry as Peter Parker and MJ is seemingly more than just acting.
Zendaya and Tom had actually been rumored to be dating back in 2017, when Spider-Man: Homecoming came out. However, the stars laughed off the rumors on Twitter, saying that they didn’t take vacations, as reported. They were also apparently each in relationships with someone else after that: Tom was linked to Olivia Bolton from 2019 to 2020, while Zendaya was romantically linked to her Euphoria co-star Jacob Elordi around that same time.
While it’s still unknown if Zendaya and Tom really were dating a few years back, their current romance seems to be the real deal. A source recently told HollywoodLife that the stars are “very happy together” and that their initial friendship has “turned itself into so much more.” Zendaya and Tom are also planning to continue to keep their relationship under wraps for now, according to the source. “They are not going to go out of their way to broadcast their relationship but are very aware that they now have the world’s attention,” the source said.