Zendaya says many fans were ‘fooled’ by AI wedding photos
Zendaya set the record shortly after an AI-generated image of her wedding to Spider-Man co-star Tom Holland went viral.
Unbranded – Entertainment
LOS ANGELES – On a sunny day in Los Angeles, it’s hard to imagine a crowded sporting event without anyone drinking. But that’s exactly what happened at Tom Holland’s padel tournament on April 29th.
Holland caught up with USA TODAY ahead of the BERO Padel Classic, a star-studded padel tournament hosted by his non-alcoholic beer and lifestyle brand, BERO. At this year’s event, held at Padel Square, Holland, along with other top BERO players, took part in a friendly tournament for padel, a racket sport best described as a combination of squash and tennis. Holland’s fiancé Zendaya (and possibly his wife, if her longtime stylist Law Roach is to be believed) also stopped by to show her support, wearing a stunning blue and white sundress.
The connection between the Netherlands and BERO is personal. He has been open about his journey with sobriety since realizing he had an alcohol problem about four years ago. The “Spider-Man” star, 29, quit alcohol during the 2022 Dry January Challenge. That dry January turned into a dry February, which turned into an even drier March, and led to a more modest lifestyle.
With BERO, Holland not only wants to offer non-alcoholic drinkers an alternative drink, but also aims to promote health and wellness more broadly. The ethos of padel reflects that, he says.
“I’m a person who’s very interested in the idea of community, and padel is a very social sport,” Holland says. “Being so close to the opponents, you get to have a nice chat with the people on the court. And for me, if we can bring people together and have a fun day and celebrate BERO at the same time, that’s kind of the perfect recipe.”
How sobriety changed Tom Holland’s life
Holland has previously spoken about the red flags that led her to question her relationship with alcohol. On Jay Shetty’s podcast in 2023, he recalled how he used to drink frequently. When he stopped, he found that he still craved alcohol on a regular basis. Holland told Shetty that the first dry January was harder than he expected. It was eventually determined that he had an alcohol problem.
Since getting sober, Holland’s life has been a whirlwind. He has starred in a string of Hollywood productions, signed deals with fashion brands like Prada and Vuori, publicly acknowledged his relationship with Zendaya, signed a production deal with Sony and launched BERO. Holland and Zendaya both appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is scheduled for release in July of this year. Understandably, Holland did not wear a ring at this event, wedding or not.
Would all these blessings have happened the same way if he had not stopped drinking years ago?
“That’s a really big question,” Holland said. “I’ve been so lucky over the last four years that my career has really blossomed in a great way. I really love what’s going on and what’s going to happen. And I don’t know how much of that would have come to fruition if I was still sober.”
Life as a public figure can be stressful, Holland said. Many people think of drinking as a way to relieve stress, but for Holland, drinking only made the stress worse.
“Drinking ended up being a huge hindrance to my professional life,” he says. “Being an actor and living your life on a big stage can be really stressful, and personally, I think alcohol has made that problem even worse. And since I’ve stopped drinking and been able to be more myself and wake up refreshed every day and start my day fresh, I’ve felt so much more confident in myself as a person.”
Tom Holland isn’t alone – Gen Z as a whole is drinking less
The Netherlands is not the only country to neglect alcohol. Overall, Gen Z is drinking less alcohol than previous generations. However, why this is the case is debatable.
Some say this is because Gen Z is more health-conscious overall. Others say they are more lonely.
Holland doesn’t understand why so many people her age avoid alcohol. But he thinks the change is probably for the better.
“Alcohol is great, but it’s also incredibly dangerous,” he says. “And I really enjoy seeing young people turning away from alcohol and looking for alternatives to alcohol. And I think that’s creating a safer environment, a more communal environment.”
The Netherlands doesn’t want to force anyone to stop drinking. Nor should we shame those who enjoy alcohol in moderation. But as a star with many young superhero fans, he hopes he can set an example that you don’t have to drink to live a fulfilling life.
His choice, he says, also had a ripple effect in his own social circle.
“All my friends have really cut down on their drinking. The other night I had a drink with all my friends,” he says. “I used to be like a really heavy drinker. We’d stay up until 1 a.m. and have hangovers the next day. And we’d have like 10 guys over at the house, and I don’t think any of them had a drop of alcohol. … They were all really involved. I didn’t wake up the next day and feel lightheaded. And I love what it did for my life in general.”
