The couple linked up to celebrate after the Dune: Part Two world premiere in London.

Tom Holland and Zendaya put breakup rumors to rest with a rare public outing: the Dune: Part Two world premiere after-party in London. The rumor mill about these two tends to start churning whenever one of them has a big project going on, and that certainly seems to have been the case here. As of Thursday evening, your favorite Gen Z acting power couple still appear to be going strong. Zendaya has been extremely busy embodying a sci-fi alien princess movie star on the Dune 2 press tour, serving looks and showing off her abs in a myriad of Law Roach–styled red-carpet ensembles.

Right after gracing the red carpet in her latest fashion coup—a metal Mugler space suit that showed off her butt cheeks—she changed into something more comfortable for the after-party. Clad in a black velvet floor-grazing gown and Bulgari jewelry, the Euphoria star stepped out with Holland one month after he confirmed to TMZ that he and Z had “absolutely not” broken up. The Spider-Man actor was a bit more dressed down in a black vest with pearl buttons, black trousers, and a black crewneck tee. The couple were photographed holding hands when they arrived.

Zendaya arriving at the after-party reception for Dune: Part Two at Old Session House in London on February 15, 2024.Neil Mockford / Ricky Vigil M

Tom Holland arriving at the after-party reception for Dune: Part Two at Old Session House in London on February 15, 2024.Neil Mockford / Ricky Vigil M

Having met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017, Tom Holland and Zendaya began a friendship that blossomed into a serious relationship, about which they’ve been relatively tight-lipped. However, the 27-year-old Holland recently spoke about their shared past at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards.

“Zendaya and I will, every now and then, watch Spider-Man 1 and reminisce about being 19 and making those movies again,” he told Extra. “I love those movies, and I love savoring those moments, so I try not to watch them as often as I would maybe like to because it’s so special. It’s such a luxury, such a gift to be able to sit down and sort of relive your youth.”

Dune: Part Two is really Zendaya’s movie

It’s Paul’s story, but Chani is the actual protagonist by the end of the film

enisDenis Villeneuve’s planned trilogy of Dune movies is unmistakably focused on telling the story of Paul Atreides, as played by Timothée Chalamet. But just because it’s Paul’s story doesn’t mean he’s the main character of all of the movies. In fact, one of the cleverest, most effective methods Villeneuve uses to show us Paul’s journey in Dune: Part Two is by subtly shifting the Freman warrior Chani (Zendaya) from her initial role as narrator and love interest into the movie’s main character. And Zendaya is one of the few actors who could actually pull that off.

At the beginning of Dune: Part Two, Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), is slowly consolidating power, trying to convince both the Fremen and Paul himself that he is the prophesied messiah, Lisan al Gaib. That prophecy was planted by Jessica’s Bene Gesserit organization many generations ago as a means of controlling the Fremen. At first, Paul is resolute in refusing to back Jessica in manipulating the Fremen, who saved Paul and Jessica’s lives after the Harkonnen family attacked them and drove them into the desert. Paul doesn’t want to be the Fremen’s messiah, he wants to be their equal.

But as the movie progresses, Paul’s desire for revenge against the Harkonnens grows, and the idea of surviving without taking control of the Fremen on Arrakis begins to look less and less possible to him. By the time he decides to go south and meet with the Fremen fundamentalists, it’s clear that Paul has chosen to accept the role of the Lisan al Gaib, something he knows will bring about the death of billions of people across the universe. His Fremen lover Chani wants to steer him away from that future, and she can’t.

Image: Warner Bros.

Communicating his shift from main character and hero to something far darker and more complicated is one of Dune: Part Two’s greatest challenges. It would probably have been impossible for the movie to fully make Paul a villain. It wouldn’t have been authentic to the narrative or its themes for his story to end that cleanly anyway. But Villeneuve’s much cleverer solution is to show us Paul’s slow but steady drift toward the lures of power.

Dune: Part Two lets us see that transformation through Chani’s eyes. From the moment Paul first rides a sandworm, Villeneuve starts showing us Chani’s reactions rather than Paul’s when people speak. Where the camera used to hang on Chalamet’s face after he delivered a particularly stirring speech to the Fremen, it instead cuts to Zendaya, reacting with mounting fear that she may have lost the person she loves to the weight of manipulated prophecy.

By the time Paul drinks the Water of Life and Chani is forced to revive him, Paul has practically become a supporting character. Scenes start and end with her involvement. Even Paul’s climactic ascendancy to Emperor is cut short by Chani leaving. And when she does, she’s the character we follow, as she heads into the desert and rides off into the sunset, closing out the movie.

It’s a delicate change, and a subtle enough shift in the narrative that most people might not even notice if they aren’t actively looking for it. But its effect is strong enough to carry the movie’s thematic core: We know Paul is a changed man, and that he’s taken a turn for the worse, because we can clearly see those thoughts forming on the face of the person he loves. The filmmaking and writing is a huge part of why this shift works so well and is able to communicate so much. The script, written by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, constantly frames Chani as a skeptic about the prophecy, but never lets that interfere with her love for Paul.

But the other, even more important, reason all of this works so well is Zendaya’s performance. Zendaya is, plain and simple, an absolute movie star.

Photo: Warner Bros.

She’s tremendously charismatic, funny, and winning on screen, and she’s able to garner sympathy from the audience in Dune: Part Two through pure charm and loving glances alone. It’s economical performance at its best. She takes a supporting role that could easily get lost in the epic swells of Dune’s space opera and turns it into the single most important thing in the movie. It’s the best Zendaya has ever been on the big screen.

Her performance feels like a coronation, but not a surprise. Zendaya has been a celebrity for years now, moving from a Disney Channel child star to a social media darling. It’s been almost five years since she first got the chance to show off her acting chops on HBO’s angsty teen drama Euphoria.

But she’s never gotten to star in a major movie before. Sure, she’s a supporting player as MJ in the Sony/MCU collaborative Spider-Man movies, but those belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe more than they belong to any particular star, and she’s still usually third-billed at best, behind Tom Holland and a villain or two. She had a featured role in The Greatest Showman that gave her screen time but no depth, and a title role in Netflix’s Malcolm & Marie that gave her depth but minimal impact. And she’ll get a chance to genuinely lead a movie later this year in the excellent-looking Challengers.

But for now, Dune: Part Two is the biggest blockbuster role she’s had yet. And it’s hard to think of any other actor her age who could have pulled this off. At 27, she has the built-in charisma that only a star can bring to the role. The audience is rooting for her in Dune: Part Two even before it officially becomes her movie, because they walked into the theater knowing they already love her. That’s something only a star can give a movie.

Here’s Why Tom Holland Seemingly Skipped The Oscars With Zendaya

Zendaya was easily one of the best dressed at last night’s Academy Awards. Although some fans felt her red carpet look was missing a very important accessory.

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

When we first heard that Zendaya would be presenting at the Oscars, anticipation was high that we might get some adorable content courtesy of her and her boyfriend, Tom Holland.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Unlike Z, Tom wasn’t expected to present anything at the ceremony; nor was he up for any awards. However, he’s obviously known to be incredibly supportive of her, so it didn’t seem out of the question that he might tag along to the Oscars to pose for some pictures and mingle with some A-list pals.

But despite high hopes, it soon became clear that Tom had skipped the event when Zendaya arrived solo — looking stunning in a metallic pink Armani Privé gown.

John Shearer / WireImage

As you might know, Tom has talked openly in the past about sometimes keeping a distance from the “Hollywood hype” for the good of his mental health. But it sounds as if his absence on this occasion could likely be put down to a scheduling conflict.

Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images

Over the weekend, Tom was in London hosting an event for the Brothers Trust, which is an organization founded by his parents that helps support underfunded charities.

Michael Tran / AFP via Getty Images

The Brothers Trust event took place on Saturday, and the next morning, Tom celebrated the evening’s success on his Instagram account.

“What a night,” he wrote on his story, alongside a photograph of himself and his dad.

So while we may have missed out on a Tomdaya red carpet moment at the 2024 Oscars, something tells us that Zendaya will probably be in attendance next year, based on the current buzz around Dune: Part Two.

Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images

While promoting the new movie, in which she stars alongside Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya hasn’t wasted an opportunity to sing her boyfriend’s praises, recently confessing that Tom helps bring out her confidence.

Karwai Tang / WireImage

“’Rizz’ is short for ‘charisma,’ right? Everybody’s kind of got their own,” she said during her Puppy Interview with BuzzFeed last month. “I think someone who has beautiful charisma, not on the Dune cast, but I know personally works for me, is Mr. Tom Holland.

“I’m more shy and kind of quiet, so it takes a little bit more to pull me out of my shell. But he’s great at just talking to people and getting to know people,” she confessed. “You see him on talk shows and stuff like that. He’s just naturally very good at that. Whereas for me, I’ve definitely had to pull it out of me a little bit. He’s got that natural gift.”