Spider-Man: Homecoming's Zendaya Is Not Playing a Love Interest

Spider-Man: Homecoming actor Zendaya was previously rumored to play Mary Jane in the upcoming movie, but in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Disney Channel star cast doubt on that, saying she's not playing a love interest.

"My character is not romantic," she said. "My character is like very dry, awkward, intellectual, and because she's so smart, she just feels like she doesn't need to talk to people, like, 'My brain is so far ahead of you that you're just not really on my level.' So she comes off very weird.

"But to me, she is very cool because she's deep," Zendaya continued. "She's always thinking about something, always reading. I like that. And I also like that I don't really have to do anything for hair and makeup. I just get to walk in and walk out."

All we know about Zendaya's character is that she's referred to as "Michelle." In addition, the actor commented on the controversy stirred up by some fans over the fact that she would play an African-American Mary Jane.

"People are going to react over anything. But nothing [about who I'm playing] is fact," she said. "It's funny to watch the guessing game. But of course there's going to be outrage over that because for some reason some people just aren't ready.

"I'm like, 'I don't know what America you live in, but from what I see when I walk outside my streets of New York right now, I see lots of diversity and I see the real world and it's beautiful, and that's what should be reflected and that's what is reflected so you're just going to have to get over it.'"

In related news, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland revealed that he's signed on with Marvel to star in three solo films and make three appearances in other Marvel movies. One of these appearances was this year's Captain America: Civil War, which introduced the Spider-Man character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Spider-Man: Homecoming opens in theaters on July 7, 2017. In addition to Zendaya and Holland, it stars Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny), Donald Glover (Atlanta), and Michael Keaton (Birdman), who's confirmed to play a villain.