Zendaya found a chance to gush over boyfriend Tom Holland and she took it.
In a preview for Buzzfeed’s puppy interview, posted on Wednesday, February 21, Zendaya, 27, was asked which of her Dune costars had the most rizz. (The term is short for charisma and is defined by having a “romantic appeal or charm,” according to Merriam-Webster.)
“I don’t know. Rizz is short for charisma, right? Everybody’s kind of got their own,” Zendaya replied. “I think someone who has beautiful charisma, not on the Dune cast, but personally works for me, is Mr. Tom Holland.”
The actress noted that her and Holland, 27, were different in that regard, adding, “I’m more shy and kind of quiet. So it takes a bit more to pull me out of my shell. But he’s great at just talking to people, getting to know people.”
Zendaya praised Holland for being able to exude charm on talk shows and in interviews.
“He’s just naturally very good at that,” she added. “I’ve definitely had to pull it out of me a little bit. He’s got that natural gift.”
Holland — who is not in Dune or Dune Part Two — had a different opinion when asked about his “rizz” by the same outlet in June 2023, saying, “I’m happy and in love so I’ve got no need for rizz. I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz.”
At the time, Holland joked about the “secret” to his appeal.
“I need you to fall in love with me, really, for it to work,” he quipped. “Probably making a movie with each other — it definitely helps when the characters are falling in love with one another. You can sort of blur the lines a little bit.”
Holland and Zendaya sparked dating speculation after working together on 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. After several years of denying romance rumors, the costars went public in 2021 and have gone on to offer rare glimpses into their relationship.
The Crowded Room star previously detailed the “nerve-wracking” aspects of finding love in the spotlight, telling British GQ in 2021, “It means that if you are dating someone, you have to be really conscious of their feelings, because if something does happen between the two of you, it’s not just happening between the two of you, it’s happening in front of the entire world. And it can be very complicated. It’s one of the things I worry about most, of all the things in my career.”
Meanwhile, Zendaya said she has accepted the “parts of her life” that are “going to be public” knowledge.
“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,” she told Elle in August 2023. “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.”
A source told Us Weekly at the time that the couple have felt more confident in their connection since taking their romance public.
“Zendaya and Tom really did their best to keep their romance under wraps when they first started dating,” the insider shared in June 2023. “Before they began seeing each other, they had both always been very private when it came to their personal lives. It was something that bonded them in the early stages of their relationship because they were both on the same page when it came to avoiding public speculation.”
Holland and Zendaya have also used social media to show support for each other’s projects. The actor took to Instagram Story on Wednesday to share the new trailer for Zendaya’s upcoming movie Challengers, writing, “You ain’t ready for this one!”
