Tom Holland and Zendaya Talk About 'Loving Someone' in the Public Eye: It's a 'Sacred Thing'

Tom Holland, who was seen kissing Zendaya in a car earlier this year, said he felt “robbed of our privacy” and wants to keep his personal life private

zendaya, tom holland
Zendaya and Tom Holland . Photo: Fotonoticias/FilmMagic

Tom Holland and Zendaya are getting candid about navigating relationships while in the public eye.

Holland spoke about his bond with Zendaya and his desire to keep his personal life private during an interview with GQ for the magazine's Men of the Year issue. The Spider-Man: No Way Home costars, both 25, were spotted sharing a steamy smooch inside a car over the summer.

"One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn't really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world," Holland told the outlet.

He added, "I've always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway. We sort of felt robbed of our privacy. I don't think it's about not being ready. It's just that we didn't want to."

Tom Holland and Zendaya
Tom Holland and Zendaya. Kevin Winter/Getty

Holland gushed about Zendaya, telling GQ she's been "instrumental" in his life over the past few years. The Euphoria star also told the magazine that having others get a glimpse at her personal life is both "confusing and invasive."

"The equal sentiment [we both share] is just that when you really love and care about somebody, some moments or things, you wish were your own," the actress explained to the outlet. "I think loving someone is a sacred thing and a special thing and something that you want to deal with and go through and experience and enjoy amongst the two people that love each other."

Hoping to keep their private lives under wraps, Holland added that the pair will have a discussion about revealing details of their relationship when the time is right.

"This isn't my story. It's our story. And we'll talk about what it is when we're ready to talk about it together," he said.

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A source previously told PEOPLE in July 2017 that Zendaya and Holland were romantically involved.

"They started seeing each other while they were filming Spider-Man," said the insider. "They've been super careful to keep it private and out of the public eye but they've gone on vacations with each other and try and spend as much time as possible with one another."

Added another source, "They're both really ambitious and they challenge each other — but, most importantly, they make each other crack up. They seem to have a really similar sense of humor and love joking around together. They have great banter back and forth."

Zendaya also couldn't help but say sweet things about Holland during an October interview with InStyle editor-in-chief Laura Brown for the magazine's annual Best Dressed issue and podcast.

"There are many things, obviously, that I appreciate," Zendaya said of Holland when asked about her Spider-Man costar.

She then went on to share why she thinks highly of Holland as an actor, telling Brown: "In an actor way, I appreciate that he really loves being Spider-Man. It's a lot of pressure — you take on the role of a superhero wherever you go."

Zendaya and Holland's third Spider-Man movie together, No Way Home, opens on Dec. 17.

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