Spider-Man stars Tom Holland and Zendaya may be happily married now, but the producer behind the franchise says she once warned them not to date.
The pair, who play Peter Parker and MJ, began dating after being cast in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming — despite Amy Pascal advising them not to pursue a romance. Holland confirmed last month that the couple had tied the knot in a private ceremony.
Pascal said she gave the same warning to The Amazing Spider-Man stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, who began a relationship while filming the 2012 movie. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst also dated after starring in the earlier Spider-Man films.
“I say this to all of them, and no one ever listens to me,” the producer told Variety at the premiere of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth movie in the rebooted series. She added that Holland and Zendaya are “pretty happy together.”
In a separate interview with the BBC, she said: “Tobey and Kirsten dated, and Andrew and Emma — and MJ and Peter just always fall in love. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
Pascal first shared the story in a 2021 interview with theNew York Times, revealing that she “took Tom and Zendaya aside, separately, when we first cast them and gave them a lecture. Don’t go there — just don’t. Try not to. I gave the same advice to Andrew and Emma. It can just complicate things, you know? And they all ignored me.”
Holland confirmed the pair’s marriage last month after speculation sparked by AI-generated wedding photos circulating online. Asked whether he had to reassure family members the images weren’t real, Holland joked that he didn’t because “they were all there.”
He also revealed how he and Zendaya supported each other off-camera. “Our business can present very stressful situations, and it’s really nice to have a bedrock of a relationship that will stand the test of time,” he told Esquire. “So, for me, I found my person. She’s my best friend, and I’m the happiest I ever have been when I’m with her, but I also have never felt so supported and safe, ever. Period.”
The actor has since casually referred to Zendaya as his “wife” in several interviews while promotingBrand New Day. The movie is in theaters now.
The pair recently costarred in Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey, marking their first collaboration away from Spider-Man. Both films have become box-office hits, making Holland and Zendaya, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the first married couple to headline two major summer releases weeks apart.
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