7 Actors Who’ve Played Zendaya’s Love Interest On-Screen
7 Actors Who’ve Played Zendaya’s Love Interest On-Screen
Audrey SchmidtSat, August 1, 2026 at 12:30 PM UTC
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Hunter Schafer and Zendaya in Euphoria; Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in The DramaCredit: HBO; A24 -
Zendaya and Tom Holland’s on-screen romance in the Spider-Man franchise evolved into a real-life relationship and marriage
The actress has worked with Robert Pattinson on multiple projects, and the two portrayed a couple in The Drama
Hunter Schafer played the star’s love interest in Euphoria and said she felt “so lucky” to develop the characters alongside Zendaya
One of Zendaya’s on-screen love interests turned into happily ever after.
After working with Tom Holland on Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise, the two began an off-camera relationship and got married years later. The duo, who played MJ (Zendaya) and Peter Parker (Holland), reprised their roles four times over nearly a decade in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latter of which hit theaters on July 31. Zendaya has called acting alongside Holland “a dream.”
“I get to go to work every day with my best friend, the person that I love. We bring our dogs to work; it’s like a family affair. We grew up on those movies! It’s like coming home,” she told Elle in May 2026.
After growing up on the Disney Channel, the actress earned two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Rue Bennett in the HBO series Euphoria, in which her character fell in love with Hunter Schafer’s Jules Vaughn. Over the years, she’s starred opposite several other big names, including Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson.
Here’s everything to know about seven of Zendaya’s on-screen love interests.
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Tom Holland
Tom Holland and Zendaya in Spider-Man: Far From HomeCredit: Jay Maidment/Sony Pictures
Zendaya and Holland first met at a chemistry read for the 2017 film Spider-Man: Homecoming. The two secured the roles of Michelle Jones-Watson “MJ” and Peter Parker, and have starred in four installments in the franchise since.
“In an actor way, I appreciate that he really loves being Spider-Man,” the actress told InStyle in October 2021. “It’s a lot of pressure — you take on the role of a superhero wherever you go. To the little kid who walks by, you are Spider-Man. I think he handled that so well. And seeing him at work, even though he’s not a Virgo [laughs], he is a perfectionist.”
As their characters’ romance blossomed throughout the film series, theirs did in real life. After confirming their romance in 2021, Zendaya sparked engagement rumors at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, when she was seen wearing a large diamond ring. The couple went on to secretly marry, which Holland confirmed in June 2026.
During an interview with Esquire, Holland shared that his grandmother saw fake AI photos of their nuptials and thought she hadn’t been invited to the wedding. When asked if he had to send similar messages to other family members, Holland replied, “No, because they were all there.”
“That’s all you’ll get on that,” he continued.
The two worked together again for Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film, The Odyssey. Over the years, they’ve praised each other’s abilities.
“What I love about watching [Zendaya] work as an actress is she’s just fearless,” Holland shared about his wife while appearing on Amy Poehler’s Good Hangpodcast in June 2026. “She’s just like absolutely 10 toes down, I’m gonna give this everything.”
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Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in Dune: Part TwoCredit: Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros.
Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet have been costars and friends for years, meeting before production began on the Dune films. The pair assumed the roles of on-screen lovers Chani (Zendaya) and Paul Atreides (Chalamet), whose relationship has unfolded throughout the installments.
“She was like a breath of fresh air,” Chalamet told PEOPLE in October 2021 of his costar. “She had a great energy.”
He also opened up about how their friendship blossomed off-screen, as well, telling Variety in November 2022 that Zendaya “has really become a sister” to him. “I’m so grateful to count her as a partner and a sister and a friend,” he added.
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Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist
Mike Faist as Art, Zendaya as Tashi and Josh O’Connor as Patrick in ChallengersCredit: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
The actress teamed up with The Crown star Josh O’Connor and West Side Story’s Mike Faist for the 2024 film Challengers. The Golden Globe-winning sports drama centered around three tennis players — Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Faist) and Patrick (O’Connor) — and their love triangle on and off the tennis court.
Tashi is a former tennis prodigy who coached her on-screen husband Art in the sport. He went head-to-head in a challenger event against his former best friend and Tashi’s ex, Patrick.
The two have praised their costar, with O’Connor telling The Guardianin May 2024, “Call it what you want: chemistry, alchemy, talent, movie-star quality — Zendaya has it. She’s just hit the jackpot.”
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Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schafer as Jules, Zendaya as Rue on EuphoriaCredit: HBO
Zendaya and Schafer worked together on HBO’s Emmy Award-winning series Euphoria during all three seasons.
Zendaya played the lead role of Rue, a teen girl battling drug addiction, while Schafer starred as Jules, the new girl in town. The two characters, who were students in high school, hit it off immediately and began a relationship. On set, the two actors were dedicated scene partners.
“I feel so lucky to be working next to her and to be developing these characters’ relationship with her because I know she loves them just as much as I do, if not more,” Schafer told Collider of Zendaya in January 2021.
She continued, saying, “She is just so good about, when the camera’s on me, doing whatever she needs to do to help me be where I need to be for the scene. It makes it that much easier for me to reciprocate and give that back to her. We’re always just pushing each other to go deeper.”
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Zac Efron
Zac Efron and Zendaya in The Greatest ShowmanCredit: Niko Tavernise/Fox
Zendaya and Efron teamed up for the 2017 musical The Greatest Showman, which was inspired by the life of P.T. Barnum.
Zendaya played the role of trapeze artist Anne Wheeler, while Efron played Barnum’s business partner, Phillip Carlyle, who falls in love with Wheeler. Of their on-screen romance, Efron told PEOPLE in December 2017 that it might have been “my favorite kiss, I think ever.”
“Just because at this point for these characters, it’s so built up, the tension between them is so strong, and literally, just a glance between them is electric,” he added. “And when they finally have the courage in that moment to finally connect and get that kiss, it’s that epic musical moment.”
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Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in The DramaCredit: A24
Zendaya and Pattinson have teamed up for several on-screen projects, including TheOdyssey, Dune: Part Three and The Drama. In the latter, they played an engaged couple whose relationship was put to the test when an unexpected twist derailed their wedding week.
The Twilight star leaned on Zendaya throughout production, especially when part of the script didn’t sit right with him.
“We had a scene together that was driving me crazy,” Pattinson told the French publication Premiere in March 2025. “I was desperately looking for its meaning, to the point of writing pages and pages of textual analysis … I ended up calling Zendaya the night before shooting the scene in question.”
He continued, “I shared my doubts with her, I spoke for two hours, and blah blah blah, and after a while, very calmly, she finally made me understand that the line just said what it meant to say, that there was no hidden meaning.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
