Maria Tomei adored watching Tom Holland and Zendaya‘s love blossom while working with them on Spider-Man. During a recent Fan Expo 2024 appearance in Toronto, the 59-year-old actress gushed about the couple’s “enormous” talent.
“I think some of the favorite things were really just watching Tom and Zendaya grow up and watching them fall in love, and seeing their phenomenal talent,” Marisa said. “Just being, like, blown away from the get-go. I mean, I’m blown away.”
While noting that “some people are just meant for” the industry, the My Cousin Vinny star added about Tom, 28, and Zendaya, 27, “They carry enormous, enormous star power, enormous power, and they manage to be real people at the same time and just, they’re multitalented.”
Aside from watching them shine on the set of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, Marisa acknowledged that Tom and Zendaya’s other projects have showcased their talents.
Marisa Tomei when asked about her favorite behind-the-scenes moments from shooting the ‘SPIDER-MAN’ films:
“Watching Tom [Holland] and Zendaya grow up and watch them fall in love.”#FanExpoCanada pic.twitter.com/GljTRo4lef
— Cosmic Marvel (@cosmic_marvel) August 26, 2024
“They can do everything!” she added. “They sing, they dance, they act, they do stunts, they design fashion. I mean, what are they not doing? They’re incredible, incredible people.”
Throughout the three Spider-Man films, Marisa played the role of Aunt May to Tom’s character, Peter Parker, a.k.a Spider-Man. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Aunt May is killed by the Green Goblin. Tom and Marisa shared an emotional on-screen moment when May dies in Peter’s arms. But right before dying, May says the famous line that other universes’ Peters heard from their Uncle Ben: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
May’s death affects Peter toward the end of No Way Home, putting him on a vengeful path until Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire‘s Spider-Men help him get past it. Zendaya plays Peter’s friend-turned-girlfriend, M.J., in all three films. Her and Peter’s fate is left up in the air because everyone’s memories of Peter have been wiped.
Zendaya and Tom first met in 2016 while working on Spider Man: Homecoming. After becoming close friends, they confirmed their relationship in late 2021. Since then, they’ve been inseparable and have openly supported one another’s careers. However, they’ve also managed to keep most of their romance out of the public eye to maintain privacy.