Tom Holland and Zendaya are one of the perfect Hollywood couples that fans adore. What’s more interesting about their relationship is that the duo kept their dating under wraps for a while which didn’t stop them from supporting each other, and showering immense love and affection despite extreme public attention.
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Their real-life chemistry kicked off from their reel-life chemistry as the duo hit the screen together in the 2017 Marvel film, Spider-Man: Homecoming. But before they became a doting couple in the eye of fans, the actress had to face immense criticism when she was first associated with the Marvel film.
Zendaya Faced Racial Backlash for Playing MJ!
Back in 2016, major controversy revolving around Zendaya hit the Internet. The actress was announced to be one of the cast in the 2017 film, Spider-Man: Homecoming. When Marvel Studios released that the biracial actress would be cast as MJ, the love interest of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, it wasn’t taken positively by the fans.
Soon when fans heard the news of her starring opposite Tom Holland in the film, they started sharing their opinions on the Internet about how a black actress being cast for a white woman’s role was wrong.
Check out the tweets here.
I love diversity and all but Hollywood is looking ridiculous right now.
A BLACK MARY JANE!
REALLY!— Frank Okeke (@dveryman) August 19, 2016
Mary Jane Watson is going to be black? 🤔😪
— soldat sans grade🧑🏿💻 (@_ramenpapi) August 19, 2016
Zendaya being the next Mary Jane is just wrong. Mary Jane is not black. Why can't Hollywood ever stick to the story? Smh
— Wooka Dončić 🇭🇺🇲🇽 (@mffl_enthusiast) August 19, 2016
While the criticism continued for a while, she also received support from various fans including her fellow actor and now-lover. Holland stood firm to support the actress by praising her traits that haters couldn’t see.
Tom Holland Supported Zendaya for Being a Perfect Fit in Marvel
In an interview with GlobalGrind in 2017, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man actor addressed the racial backlash his co-star received regarding the casting.
“The thing is with Zendaya she knows that, from being on set with her, everyone is always complimenting everyone. Everyone is so loving here. What I love about working for Marvel is how welcoming and kind everyone is.”
He continued that many people “love” her. He also believed that “our generation of people” are moving forward and changing the traditional thoughts which is beyond the theory that someone would have to fit into certain standards like the “right race” to play a role.
He added,
“Z is perfect for it, she’s so powerful and so strong willed and it’s not going to shake her at all.”
Initially played a minor role in the first film, her portrayal of Michelle “MJ” Jones exponentially increased in the sequels. She is set to reprise her role in the upcoming Spider-Man film which is currently in development.
Source: GlobalGrind
