Zendaya lends her support to boyfriend Tom Holland as he is urged to speak out in support of Romeo and Juliet co-star Frances Amewudah-Rivers amid ‘barrage of deplorable racial abuse’
Zendaya has thrown her support behind her boyfriend Tom Holland amid his performance in a Romeo & Juliet play that has become embroiled in a racism controversy.
Tom, 27, will play Romeo in the upcoming West End production, while Juliet will be portrayed by Francesca Amewudah-Rivers.
Social media was later awash with a ‘barrage of deplorable racial abuse’ at the diverse cast, prompting the theater company to release a statement condemning the abuse Francesca received.
Zendaya told Vogue that she ‘couldn’t be more proud’ of Tom, adding: ‘I’m going to try and see as many shows as I possibly can.’
Speaking on both their journeys to stardom, Zendaya said: ‘We were both very, very young but my career was already on the way and his changed overnight.
Zendaya has thrown her support behind her boyfriend Tom Holland amid his performance in a Romeo & Juliet play that has become embroiled in a racism controversy
Tom, 27, will play Romeo in the upcoming West End production, while Juliet will be portrayed by racially abused Francesca Amewudah-Rivers
‘One day you’re a kid and you’re in the pub with your friends and the next day you’re Spider-Man. I definitely saw his life changing before him. But he managed it really well.’
It comes after Bridgerton actress Arséma Adeoluwayemi Hamera has called Tom Holland to speak out in support of his co-star Francesca.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Arséma, who played young Lady Danbury in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, shared a plea from HBO actress Selina Jones urging Tom to speak up.
‘You need to put pressure on @tomholland2023’s head,’ the post read. ‘I need my guy to say something, ANYTHING, about the disgusting racial abuse being hurled at our angel Fran.’
The post urged people to encourage him to act in any way they could, adding: ‘Our power as a people and a community should never be underestimated. The Avengers assemble.’
Several other people took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their frustration at the lack of a statement from Tom.
They wrote: ‘Seriously though, he should have said something days ago. We have newcomers like Melissa Barrera, Renee Rapp, Ramy Youssef and Avantika speaking for Gaza and he can’t stand up against blatant racism? Spider-man would never;’
Zendaya told Vogue she ‘couldn’t be more proud’ of Tom, adding: ‘I’m going to try and see as many shows as I possibly can’
Social media was later awash with a ‘barrage of deplorable racial abuse’ at the diverse cast, prompting the theater company to release a statement condemning the abuse Francesca received
‘It is incredibly embarrassing and incriminating that a dark-skinned black woman who has nothing to do with your production calls you to defend your own co-star. an incredibly useless and spineless man;’
‘Like how you jump on stage and look your co-star in the eye, knowing you sat passively while she endured archaic forms of unrelenting racism. That’s what annoys me about celebrities who don’t use their power and privilege. absolutely pathetic;’
‘What I do know is that his black co-star is receiving extreme racism and death threats because of his race. I’m sure it hurts more. And asking Tom Holland to speak out against the racism his colleague faces from some of his OWN fans is asking him to do JUST THE MINIMUM.’
But while some fans agreed with the sentiment, they also jumped to the Hollywood actor’s defense, citing that he rarely uses social media.
They said: ‘Do people forget that tom holland is hardly on social media;’
It comes after Bridgerton actress Arséma Adeoluwayemi Hamera called on Tom Holland to speak out in support of his co-star Francesca
Arséma (pictured in March), who played young Lady Danbury in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, shared a plea from HBO actress Selina Jones urging Tom to speak out
‘You need to put pressure on @tomholland2023’s head,’ the post read. ‘I need my guy to say something, ANYTHING, about the disgusting racial abuse being thrown at our angel Fran’
Several other people took to X, formerly Twitter, to voice their frustration at the lack of a statement from Tom
“I agree on another matter, but you’re forgetting that Tom Holland said years ago that he only logs into his social media for work reasons. He’s not on the internet so he definitely doesn’t know;’
‘I agree with you, but Tom has said many times that he is not active on social media.’
The theater company responsible for the Shakespeare production released a statement on Friday condemning the shocking backlash as it pledged to ‘continue to support and protect everyone in our company.’
The Jamie Lloyd Company shared: ‘Following the announcement of our Romeo & Juliet cast, there has been a barrage of deplorable racial abuse online directed at a member of our company. This has to stop.
‘We work with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without being subjected to online harassment.
‘We will continue to support and protect everyone in our company at all costs. Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported.’
It continued: ‘Bullying and harassment have no place online, in our industry or in our wider society.
‘Our practice room is full of joy, compassion and kindness. We celebrate the extraordinary talent of our incredible partners.
But while some fans agreed with the sentiment, they also jumped to the Hollywood actor’s defense, citing that he rarely uses social media
Also in the cast are Freema Agyeman, Michael Balogun, Tomiwa Edun, Mia Jerome, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Ray Sesay, Nima Taleghani, Joshua-Alexander Williams and Callum Heinrich and Kody Mortimer
A statement from the theater company on Friday condemned the shocking backlash as they pledged to ‘continue to support and protect everyone in our company.’
‘The Romeo & Juliet community will continue to rehearse with generosity and love and focus on the creation of our production.’
The theater company did not directly name who had received abuse.
MailOnline contacted The Jamie Lloyd Company for comment at the time.
The Romeo & Juliet cast was announced last month, with Tom and Bad Education’s Francesca announced in the title roles.
They are joined by Freema Agyeman (Nurse), Michael Balogun (Friar), Tomiwa Edun (Capulet), Mia Jerome (Montague), Daniel Quinn-Toye (Paris), Ray Sesay (Tybalt), Nima Taleghani (Benvolio), Joshua- Alexander Williams (Mercutio), and Callum Heinrich and Kody Mortimer (camera operators).
The 12-week run runs from 11 May to 3 August at The Duke of York’s Theatre.
Tickets for the production sold out two hours after they went on sale in February. At this time, Tom was the only cast member announced.
Director Jamie Lloyd, 43, said of the casting: ‘Tom Holland is one of the greatest, most exciting young actors in the world. It is an honor to welcome him back to the West End.’
Tom made his stage debut as a child, starring in Billy Elliot The Musical at the Victoria Palace Theater in London in 2008.
Romeo And Juliet will mark his first West End role as an adult.
The Shakespearean epic is a story that has been staged hundreds of times in the West End, and The Crown actor Josh O’Connor and Irish star Jessie Buckley appeared in a version of the play filmed for TV at the National Theater in 2021.
Other actors who have played Romeo on stage include Harry Potter star Alfred Enoch, Lord of the Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen, Game Of Thrones’ Sean Bean and Bodyguard actor Richard Madden.