Tom Holland Praises 'Fearless' Partner Zendaya as the 'Best Actor Going' Right Now

Tommy McArdleWed, June 3, 2026 at 3:51 PM UTC

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Tom Holland and Zendaya on Dec. 10, 2021
Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty -

Tom Holland is praising his partner Zendaya's work as an actor and says she "has something special" in her performances

Zendaya and Holland first met when they made 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming together; they went public with their romance in 2021

Both actors appear in The Odyssey, in theaters July 17, and costar in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in theaters July 31

Tom Holland is full of praise for his partner Zendaya as the couple set off to promote their two exciting blockbusters together.

When Holland, 30, appeared on the Tuesday, June 2, episode of the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, the actor described Zendaya, 29, as one of the best actors in the movie and television industry. "I think what I love about watching her work as an actress is she's just fearless," he said, when host Amy Poehler asked him what he has learned from living life with Zendaya and watching her work.

"She's just absolutely ten toes down, like 'I'm going to give this everything.' I think when you watch her as Rue in [Euphoria], she could not be more different to who she is in real life," Holland said. "And then if you see her as Emma in The Drama, it's just such a different performance, but with no less intent or passion or drive. I think she's the best actor going, I really think she has something special."

Tom Holland and Zendaya attend the premiere of Sony Pictures' 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' on December 13, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty

Holland and Zendaya first met when they costarred in the 2017 superhero movie Spider-Man: Homecoming. The couple went public with their romance in 2021, and PEOPLE first confirmed that they were engaged in January 2025. Zendaya's stylist Law Roach claimed in March that the couple have already gotten married, but Holland and Zendaya, who prefer to keep their life together private, have not confirmed whether they've formally tied the knot yet.

"It's a wild world, being in this industry. There are ups and downs," Holland said, while describing the benefits of living life with another movie star. "It's so nice to have someone that understands that in such a personal way, so that you can talk each other down or you can pick each other up. It's a lifeline, it really is. I couldn't imagine doing what I do without her."

Holland and Zendaya's relationship will be on display this summer more than usual as they costar in two of the summer's most anticipated movies. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey sees Holland star as Telemachus, son of Matt Damon's Odysseus and Anne Hathaway's Penelope, while Zendaya portrays Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom.

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Matt Damon and Zendaya in The Odyssey
Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Studios

Just two weeks later, Holland and Zendaya will return to the big screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in which Holland's Peter Parker now lives in a world where his love interest M.J. (Zendaya) has forgotten who he is.

During Holland's appearance on Poehler's podcast, he also pointed to how the strength of his relationship with Zendaya has empowered the couple to help make scenes in movies like Spider-Man better. He explained that he and Zendaya identified that one scene they were filming for the movie did not feel right and that it was eventually reworked into a scene that he believes now "sings in the movie."

“We had an amazing moment on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and it's only because of our relationship that this happened," he said of the experience.

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The Odyssey is in theaters July 17, while Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out July 31.

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