Zendaya’s denial of Paul Mescal’s attempt to hold hands at the SAG Awards has been compared to Tom Holland’s reaction to a star trying to mess with him

In case you haven’t heard, the Screen Actors Guild Awards took place on Sunday — and it was an incredibly star-studded affair.

In fact, only one of the A-list laden tables consisted of Zendaya, Austin Butler, Andrew Garfield, Paul Mescal and Jenna Ortega.

Other celebrities in attendance included Jamie Lee Curtis, Sally Field and Michelle Yeoh.

And some of those who didn’t take home an award that night still got their moment in the spotlight by presenting other categories.

Two of those actors were Zendaya and Paul Mescal. Zendaya was nominated for her role in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Drama Series category euphoriabut lost The White Lotus Star Jennifer Coolidge.

Meanwhile, Paul Mescal was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA for his film earlier this year After sunbut was not nominated in any category at Sunday’s SAG ceremony.

Despite this, the two stars were invited to co-present the award for Female Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series, which went to Jessica Chastain for her performance in George & Tammy.

But Zendaya and Paul’s awkward walk to the podium eventually stole the spotlight, with many viewers distracted by the two stars’ body language.

As they made their way from their table to the stage, Paul seemed to reach for Zendaya’s hand in front of the stairs.

However, she moves her hand away and appears to extend her arm so that she and Paul can lock their elbows instead. Apparently oblivious to the gesture, he follows Zendaya with apparent uncertainty as to what to do with his hands.

Of course, people watching at home took notice almost immediately, and a clip of the incident was posted on TikTok alongside the caption, “The way Paul tries to hold Zendaya’s hand didn’t have her.”

Others were quick to point out that there seemed to be a misunderstanding everywhere when referring to Zendaya’s outstretched arm.

“She didn’t avoid him. She stuck out her elbow as if expecting him to put his hand on her arm to lead her up the stairs. He was fumbling 😂,” one person commented.

Another agreed: “She tried to cross her arms, he tried to hold her hands. You were js not on the same page.”

Another added: “I think she went for the arm hold but they couldn’t figure it out 😂.”

And Paul’s drastic change in facial expression before and after the apparent snub also caught people’s attention, with the Irish star smiling broadly at the start of the clip only to look visibly uncomfortable after Zendaya deflected the handle.

“His face after 💀,” read one comment. Someone else joked, “SHE TURNED HIS SMILE UPPER 😊🥴.”

“He looks so embarrassed,” another viewer remarked. Another wrote: “He had a whole mistake and didn’t know what to do with his hands after dodging 😂.”

Zendaya’s longtime friend Tom Holland was also mentioned, arguing that she rejected Paul’s hand out of loyalty to her partner.

“She said no thanks I have Tom Holland,” joked one user. Another echoed: “She said you’re not Tom.”

Another recalled a similar incident between Tom and his Spiderman co-star Laura Harrier, who was once spotted awkwardly trying to entangle with him on a red carpet.

After she slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow, Tom immediately moved to put an arm around her and another costar while asking where Zendaya was.

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“Reminds me of the clip with Tom where the girl tried to cross her arms/hold hands and he said ‘Where’s Zendaya?’😂,” the fan commented.

As Paul and Zendaya took the stage, his nervousness was even more evident as he fiddled with his words while reading from the teleprompter.

A viewer tweeted at the time, “Zendaya made Paul Mescal nervous and giggle he’s just like me.”

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