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'Spider-Man' producer Amy Pascal says Zendaya and Tom Holland 'ignored' her advice to not date: 'Don't go there'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 13: Zendaya and Tom Holland attend Sony Pictures'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 13: Zendaya and Tom Holland attend Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man: No Way Home" Los Angeles Premiere on December 13, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

The Spider-Man series has caught another young celebrity couple in its web, with stars Tom Holland and Zendaya recently confirming their real-life romance. But while fans are buzzing over the pairing, film producer Amy Pascal has confessed that she actually warned the actors to not date.

In an interview with the New York Times alongside fellow Spider-Man: No Way Home producer and Marvel boss Kevin Feige, Pascal shared how she'd tried to discourage Zendaya and Holland, who play MJ and Peter Parker in the latest trilogy, from getting romantic. It was advice she'd also given — unsuccessfully — to Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, who had a lengthy relationship after being cast as Spider-Man leads. (Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst also briefly dated during their own stints as Peter and MJ, sparking concern from director Sam Raimi, though he later admitted that their eventual breakup didn't affect their on-screen chemistry in the original trilogy.)

Still, former Sony executive Pascal thought it best for the stars to not mix business with pleasure.

"I took Tom and Zendaya aside, separately, when we first cast them and gave them a lecture," she told the Times. "Don’t go there — just don’t. Try not to. I gave the same advice to Andrew and Emma. It can just complicate things, you know? And they all ignored me."

While Garfield and Stone reportedly dated from 2010 to 2015 before going their separate ways, it's unclear exactly how long Zendaya and Holland, both 25, have been a couple. The pair were photographed kissing by paparazzi this summer, a moment Holland later addressed in an interview with GQ.

"One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn't really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world," Holland said. "I've always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway ... we sort of felt robbed of our privacy."

He and Zendaya appear to be more comfortable taking their relationship public these days, with the Dune actress recently sharing her pride for "my Spider-Man" in a loving Instagram tribute.