Tom Holland Hated That Pictures Of Him And Zendaya Kissing In A Car Went Viral

First and foremost, Zendaya is, and will always be, Meechee. But she’s also dating Tom Holland. After years of playfully denying rumors that go back as far as 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming in which she played Mary Jane to Tom’s Spidey, they were papped together making out in a car earlier this year. This was despite their best efforts to keep their private lives private. But now that they’ve re-teamed for Spider-Man: No Way Home which comes out next month, they’re having to make the rounds together and get asked a bunch of nosy questions that don’t have anything to do with Zendaya’s star-making turn as Meechee in the 2018 hit song Zendaya Is Meechee. As such, Tom covers GQ Magazine and says that the pictures of him and Zendaya going public made him sad. And just look at his wittle face! Now I feel bad for enjoying them.

Over the years (which feels weird to say about two young people who look like they’re barely out of the zygote stage), Tom had a rumored normie girlfriend that we stopped hearing about and Zendaya was rumored to be dating her Euphoria co-star Jacob Elordi for a while. There were even rumors about Zendaya and her Dune co-star Timothée Chalamet being an item after they were spotted shopping together at a Bed Bath & Beyond but those were quickly dismissed when Timothée was later seen laying a pale white bone on Lily Rose-Depp. But in his GQ interview, Tom confirms that he and Zendaya are honestly, truly in love. And he wishes that they could have kept that to themselves.

But the funny thing about fame is that just as you start to find your dreams coming true, so, too, can nightmares. And so it was this summer, when pictures emerged in the tabloid press of Holland and Zendaya in a car in L.A., kissing. It’s a small thing, a kiss. And ordinarily, two 20-somethings in a relationship embracing at a stoplight would remain what it is, a moment of intimacy between two people.

Only in this case, that kiss was instantly beamed around the world, to be dissected in reaction videos, “relationship timelines,” and Entertainment Tonight. (Page Six: “Zendaya, Tom Holland finally confirm they’re dating with steamy car makeout.” As if they had any choice.) Holland’s private life had been in the press before, but this was different. Holland’s and Zendaya’s fans had long obsessed over whether the pair were together (“tom holland and zendaya flirting for 8 minutes straight”: 1.5 million views).

Some argued it must be a publicity stunt. “One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn’t really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world,” Holland says. He has said very little publicly about the relationship, and you sense it’s something he’s still navigating, trying to work out how much to give. “I’ve always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway,” he says. “We sort of felt robbed of our privacy.”

You weren’t ready to talk about it.

“I don’t think it’s about not being ready. It’s just that we didn’t want to.”

Holland knows that he’ll soon be on a global press tour, facing endless questions about it. “It’s not a conversation that I can have without her,” he says. “You know, I respect her too much to say… This isn’t my story. It’s our story. And we’ll talk about what it is when we’re ready to talk about it together.”

What is happening to me? I am having a feeling that I can only describe as … not mean? Is there a word for this? What do they call those Hallmark cards you send when someone dies? Symphony? At any rate, Tom’s getting one from me, one with lots of bassoons on it. Zendaya too because she also expressed discomfort over having the entire world all up in their business.

“It was quite strange and weird and confusing and invasive,” Zendaya tells me later, by phone. “The equal sentiment [we both share] is just that when you really love and care about somebody, some moments or things, you wish were your own.… I think loving someone is a sacred thing and a special thing and something that you want to deal with and go through and experience and enjoy amongst the two people that love each other.”

Shit, what is this now? It’s like in my heart but also in my throat and eyes? It’s kind of warm and glowy but also a little sticky if that makes any sense. It must be one of those e-motions Taylor Swift is always going on about. Tom also talked a bit about how much better Zendaya is at being a role model and star than he is.

“Having Zendaya in my life was so instrumental to my sanity. She is so good at being a 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?’” – Tom Holland pic.twitter.com/MCoXvFzYvG

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) November 17, 2021

Don’t worry about it kid, you’re doing great sweetie! And since I’m contractually obligated to post this video every time I think about it, here’s Tom performing Umbrella for Zendaya (you can’t tell me he didn’t come this hard just to impress her) on Lip Sync Battle.

Pic: GQ via Instagram