Zendaya opens up about dating Tom Holland while in the spotlight

American actor Zendaya is sharing a glimpse of her relationship with British actor Tom Holland and how the two deal with media attention.

During an interview with InStyle for their November cover issue, the Spider-Man star was asked by the magazine’s editor-in-chief Laura Brown about the viral meme photo of the couple where they were sitting in the store with him in costume, and her wearing an annoyed expression.

“We were shooting in New York, and you can’t block off streets because it’s public space. It’s difficult for Tom, who has to be in the full Spidey suit; it’s not like he can be incognito,” said the former Disney star.

“He has to take his spider eyes out just to drink water. I don’t remember if he’s drinking water in that picture, but I think his eyes are popped out,” she went on to say.

“The paparazzi can be wherever they want. Even our holding area was a vitamin store with glass everywhere, so it wasn’t super private. I’m assuming someone was looking through the window, trying to scare us or something. So that was my face,” she added.

Talking about what she likes best about her beau, Zendaya said: “There are many things, obviously, that I appreciate”

“In an actor way, I appreciate that he really loves being Spider-Man. 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, he is a perfectionist,” she said.

Regarding her being a perfectionist, the actor said: “Messing up. Making mistakes [makes me nervous]. Not being the best I can possibly be at something. Failure. Again, that’s a Virgo thing. If something is not perfect or the best, then I feel like I might as well have not even done it. I turn something into being the worst thing, even if it was fine. But it’s not fine to me.”

Touching upon Holland’s perfectionist tendencies, she said: “Our director allowed me to come in every day [of the shoot], and it was cool to see how he cares so much about his work and making it right. I watched him do a fight scene all day, which is exhausting. He’d do a move, come back to the monitors, watch it, and say, ‘I can do that better.’ I’d be like, ‘Dude, you got it.’ But he wants us to be perfect, and I really appreciate that.”

Heaping praises on her boyfriend, the Euphoria star said: “Yeah, he’s a fun time. Very charismatic, can make anybody feel comfortable and have a good laugh and a good chat. A good chat—I sound so British.”