Zendaya Says ‘Screwed the Pooch’ Became Part of Her Vocabulary After Spider-Man: Homecoming

Zendaya revealed that the phrase “screwed the pooch,” popularized in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), has become part of her everyday vocabulary.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1 alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day co-stars Tom Holland and Jacob Batalon, Zendaya said she often uses the expression. Holland confirmed, saying, “Yeah, you do say that a lot.”

The phrase originated from Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark in Homecoming. Holland recalled that the line was improvised by Downey during filming and was not in the script.

“I remember walking down the hallway on set, and he said that, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” Holland said.

Zendaya and Batalon admitted they were initially confused by the expression, with Batalon joking that it was “just a bad white guy thing to say.”

Holland, Zendaya and Batalon will reunite as Peter Parker, MJ and Ned in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, their first MCU appearance together since Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The film is scheduled to release in theaters on July 31.