Zendaya captivated audiences in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" in 2017, yet she was already a prominent star before her casting. Fans knew her from beloved Disney Channel shows like "Shake It Up" and "K.C. Undercover." Surprisingly, Amy Pascal, the film's producer, had no idea who she was.
During Vogue's profile of Zendaya to promote her movie, “Challengers”, Pascal mentioned that she and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige initially had no idea who Zendaya was when she auditioned.
“She was wearing no makeup and she was just dressed like a regular girl, and we were like, ‘Oh my God, she’s amazing. She has to be in the movie,' " said Pascal, who has produced the three Spider-Man films starring Zendaya's boyfriend, Tom Holland. "And then we found out she was a totally famous person, and felt really stupid.”
Feige and Pascal have produced all three of Zendaya’s “Spider-Man” movies, two of which have grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The films pair Zendaya opposite Tom Holland in the title role.
Zendaya's spiderman casting continued a tradition
Every actor portraying Spider-Man has ended up dating his leading lady in real life! Whether it’s Peter Parker falling for Gwen Stacy or Mary Jane Watson, it’s clear that the magic of Spider-Man transcends the screen and sparks real-life relationships.
Like their predecessors before them, Tom Holland and Zendaya reportedly began seeing each other away from the set, too.
"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," a source told People during the summer of 2017.
The "Spider-Man" producer Amy Pascal also revealed that she warned Tom Holland and Zendaya against dating while they were filming.
"I took Tom and Zendaya aside, separately, when we first cast them and gave them a lecture. Don't go there — just don't. Try not to," Pascal, a former Sony executive, said in a recent interview with The New York Times.
"I gave the same advice to Andrew and Emma. It can just complicate things, you know? And they all ignored me," she added.