The Newlyweds and their matching hairstyles

The Spider-Man: Brand New Day press tour continues for Tom Holland and Zendaya – today they were at a photo call in Berlin which, even though it’s work, must be so fun for them, that they get to do the work together, back-to-back, because they will likely be heading straight into promotion for The Odyssey after this. It’s a personal and professional honeymoon.

There were a lot of headlines last week about Tom finally confirming, in an interview with Esquire UK, that he and Z got married. Which, I think, overlooked the more important comment he made about their relationship that connects to what I just said about them being able to spend part of the summer as working newlyweds on the same press tours:

“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. We can support each other in ways that only we can, because only we understand really what it’s like to live this life, and I think that is such a luxury, because I just don’t understand how I would be able to have anything like that with anyone else.”

Sometimes it can be that much more pressure, when you fall in love with another famous person and the spotlight isn’t just on them as individuals but also the fact that each of them is one half of a couple. I don’t doubt that that has weighed on both of them. At the same time, they’ve obviously been able to find the advantage, to put more emphasis on how they can find strength in their common ground – and protect it, the way you would protect a superpower.

My biggest takeaway, however, was how he ended that thought, with two sentences that sum up why she’s his ideal partner and why he is hers.

“So, for me, I found my person. She’s my best friend, and I’m the happiest I have ever been when I’m with her, but I have also never felt so supported and safe, ever. Period.” 

This is what all of us should want – probably above and beyond anything else, whether it’s money, status, access, attraction: security is the magic. If only we could all find a life partner who makes us feel “supported and safe”. To hear a man say this is that much more potent in these f-ckass manosphere times, because what Tom is saying is that he is vulnerable, that he is soft, that he NEEDS that security, it’s essential for him to feel whole. That he isn’t impenetrable, that he can’t just be the person who provides the armor all the time, every day.

He has shared this sentiment consistently over the last few years; he’s been open about his mental health, he’s been candid about his fragility, about the detrimental effects of fame on his emotional wellbeing. Tom Holland has never been a celebrity who leads with ego, he is the most high-profile Gen Z antithesis of the looksmaxxer. Which, by the way, makes him that much hotter.

It is hot that Zendaya never has to adjust for her height when they are together. She’s almost half a head taller than he is in these shots from Berlin…and it’s glorious and sexy and complementary in its own unique way. Look at them with their matching newlywed hairstyles, and the preppy collegiate outfits are vibing, too.

As usual, Z’s jersey top with the half-tuck over a plaid pencil skirt is perfect. And “39” likely refers to 1939, the year Marvel was born.

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