Tom Holland has praised his wife Zendaya, saying “no-one calms me down better” than the Hollywood star. The couple met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017, with Holland playing Peter Parker/Spider-Man opposite Zendaya’s MJ. Over the past decade, fans have seen their on-screen romance mirror real life, with Holland confirming earlier this year that the pair are now married.
Premiere comments
Speaking at the London premiere of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Holland told the Press Association: “I think Zendaya always just brings me an unbelievable sense of calm, even in the midst of all of this craziness and travelling the world and making these movies and sometimes being really overwhelmed – that’s what happens when you’re a human being.
“No-one calms me down better than she does.”
New film details
The latest film follows Peter Parker four years after the events of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, where a spell made the world forget his real identity. This erases his romance with MJ and friendship with Ned Leeds from civilians’ minds, leaving Peter to fight crime alone.
Holland said the film takes a more solemn tone, made to show Peter through a vulnerable lens and tackle “real-life issues”. He explained: “What makes Peter Parker so special is that he’s a human person, and I think that what people love about him is that they can relate to him, and they see themselves in him, and they aspire to be like him.
“So for us to tackle real-life issues like being young, feeling like you’re alone, being stuck in this digital age where everything happens, all of our connections happen on the phone, we wanted to find a way to personify that and bring it to the big screen.”
Cast and release
Holland attended the white carpet in central London wearing a burgundy suit with a metal spider brooch on his tie. The film also stars Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink, Mark Ruffalo as Dr Bruce Banner, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Jon Bernthal as The Punisher, and Michael Mando as Scorpion. Peter also encounters a new mysterious villain.
Holland first played Spider-Man in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. He became the youngest actor to play a title role in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). Its sequels, Far From Home (2019) and No Way Home (2021), each grossed over $1 billion worldwide, with the latter becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. Holland also appeared as Spider-Man in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out in UK cinemas from July 29.
