Tom Holland had no scenes to film. He had no professional reason to be on set. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old actor told GQ that he made a point of showing up on the day his fiancée Zendaya began filming The Odyssey. He simply wanted to be there for her. It is a small detail, but it says something about the kind of partner Holland is and the depth of the relationship the two have built over years of working alongside each other.
In Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated epic, Zendaya plays the Greek goddess Athena. Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus. Their characters share no scenes, but that did not stop Holland from making the trip to set on her first day of work.
Matt Damon was paying attention too
Holland is not the only one who noticed something exceptional about Zendaya’s work on the film. Matt Damon, 55, who also stars in The Odyssey, recalled a specific moment on set that left both him and Holland quietly stunned. During one scene, Nolan called cut and offered his highest praise. He said one word: perfect.
Damon told Elle’s Summer 2026 issue that neither he nor Holland had ever received that level of feedback from Nolan during the entire production. The two spent the rest of the shoot good-naturedly lamenting the gap. Damon described them comparing notes at the end of each day, each reporting back with a modest “good, moving on” while Zendaya had already received perfection.
Their relationship made a Spider-Man scene better
Beyond The Odyssey, Holland also opened up about how his real-life relationship with Zendaya directly improved a scene in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Speaking on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast on June 2, he described a moment during production where he felt something was not working. Because of the trust and honesty their relationship allows, he felt comfortable asking Zendaya directly whether she agreed.
She did. Together, they took the concern to director Destin Daniel Cretton, who responded by sending the crew home to rewrite the scene overnight with one of the film’s writers. The next day, they reshot it. Holland said the scene now sings in the finished film. He was clear that he would never have felt comfortable raising that kind of creative concern with an actress he was not in a relationship with.
His words about her say everything
Holland has never been shy about his admiration for Zendaya as a performer, but his words on the podcast went further than the usual supportive partner talking points. He described her as fearless in her work. He said she has something genuinely special. Then he went a step further and called her the best actor working today, full stop.
Holland confirmed his engagement to Zendaya in September. Based on everything he has said publicly since, it is clear the professional admiration and the personal love are completely intertwined.
Source: PEOPLE
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