Zendaya says she’s “navigating” the fine line between privacy and not being “afraid to exist” when it comes to her oft-headlined relationship with fellow actor Tom Holland.
In a new interview with Clover Hope for Elle, which was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the star of Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming Challengers was asked about a then-recent batch of paparazzi photos showing her and Holland in Venice. The two have been romantically linked for some time now, though they didn't make anything official in the eyes of the public until 2021.
“Parts of my life, I accept, are going to be public,” Zendaya told the publication. “I can’t not be a person and live my life and love the person I love. But also, I do have control over what I choose to share. It’s about protecting the peace and letting things be your own but also not being afraid to exist. You can’t hide. That’s not fun, either. I am navigating it more than ever now.”
Elsewhere in the newly published interview, available in full here, Zendaya reflected on a particularly shitty moment involving makeshift paparazzi. As she recalled, she was at a store and having a card issue when people around her started taking photos of her despite her clearly being “flustered.” More recently, she was photographed while taking her dog for a walk, joking that she was worried someone would intentionally snatch a pic of her picking up fecal matter.
As touched on above, a key aspect of the latest Zendaya interview is the rightfully much-anticipated Challengers, which was originally slated to arrive next month but has since been hit with a delay due to the ongoing SAG and WGA strikes. The film, also starring Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, is now expected to debut next April.
For Guadagnino, the film serves as a reunion with the Oscar-winning duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who previously helmed the score for last year’s Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell-starring Bones and All.
Also on the horizon for Zendaya is Dune: Part Two, led by Chalamet, as well as (at some point) a new season of Euphoria. Zendaya and her fellow Euphoria stars recently experienced an unimaginable loss with the death of Angus Cloud, known for his performance as Fez on the popular HBO series.
In a public statement on the 25-year-old actor’s passing, Zendaya remembered him for his “infinite beauty” and warmth.
“I’d like to remember him that way,” she wrote on Instagram. “For all of the boundless light, love and joy he always managed to give us. I’ll cherish every moment."
