The new Spider-Man Tom Holland willed his role into existence but he won’t let it go to his head
SPIDER-MAN was the only superhero for dancer turned actor Tom Holland as a kid. Now he’s landed the role, the rising star he wants to share his good fortune with others.
Entertainment
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NEVER mind the mega-strength and the whole climbing up walls thing, Tom Holland’s true superpower is positive thinking.
As a kid there was no other superhero for the UK actor than Spider-Man. He had all the paraphernalia, the costumes (by his count, more than 30 over the years), the bed spread, pyjamas — you name it. And he has long harboured a burning ambition to play the much-loved comic book web-slinger.
So much so that about five years ago, he boldly stated in an interview that he’d like the gig (and that of James Bond) after Andrew Garfield hung up the blue and red spandex outfit.
“I feel like if you put something out into the universe then you increase your chances of it happening,” the confident, affable and well-spoken Holland says.
Holland got his chance earlier than he might have thought. Rather than retiring from his role as Spider-Man, Garfield was sidelined after two solo outings that, while far from disastrous, didn’t perform as well as hoped either critically or at the box office.
Then, thanks to an unprecedented deal between Sony, the studio with the rights to Spider-Man, and Disney, home to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, Holland made his debut as Spidey in last year’s Captain America: Civil War.
After Tobey Maguire’s three movies with Sam Raimi, that made Holland the third Spider-Man in a little over 10 years.
Holland — who first shot to fame on the West End stage as the lead in hit musical Billy Elliot, and followed that up with movie appearances in The Impossible with Naomi Watts and In the Heart of the Sea with Chris Hemsworth (Thor put in a good word for Holland with Marvel boss Kevin Feige) — has met both his predecessors, but was determined to make his own mark on the character.
Crucially, where Garfield and Maguire were both in their mid to late 20s when they played the part, Holland only turned 21 last month and can easily pass for even younger, making him perfect for his first solo outing in the role, Spider-Man: Homecoming, with its high-school setting and John Hughes aesthetic.
“Obviously the main difference is that I am a lot younger and we have really brought the character back to high school and tried to ground him in reality,” Holland says. “But this is the first time we have been able to see Spider-Man in the world in which the Avengers exist. It’s really exciting to see Spider-Man with a goal and that goal is to become an Avenger. It’s a very different and new version of the character.
“Spider-Man and (alter-ego) Peter Parker, especially, is the most relatable superhero ever. It’s very easy to relate to a kid who is having trouble in high school ... less so to relate to a billionaire whose Lamborghini broke down. For me it was about watching someone like myself go through superhero actions and experience a superhero lifestyle while also being a high school student.”
Given that nabbing the role as Spider-Man was literally a dream come true for Holland, he now feels an obligation to pay it forward. Knowing the effect the character had on his life, like his MCU co-stars Chris “Captain America” Evans and Chris “Star-Lord” Pratt before him, the young actor has been taking the time to visit sick children in hospitals and revelling in the looks on their faces when he shows up in costume to brighten their day.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” he says, echoing one of the best loved lines of the Spider-Man comic books. “I have been given such a wonderful opportunity and I want to share that with people. If I can share that with kids in hospital then that seems like the right thing to do. This is a movie for the fans — but also for kids. It’s unfair that some kids are in hospital and unable to see the movie, so if I can bring them just a little bit of joy and happiness then I should be doing that, absolutely.”
Holland, the oldest of four boys of comedian father Dominic and photographer mother Nicola, was a natural performer from an early age.
“I just loved dancing and grooving to music and enjoyed the freedom and the creativity behind it,” he says of his early years. “It was something my mum spotted that I was pretty good at and she was amazing enough to take me to a dance class. I’m so grateful that she did, because without my mum I wouldn’t be here today.”
After eight auditions and two years of training he made his West End debut in Billy Elliot in 2008 to rave reviews. That drawn-out process that held him good stead for landing the Spider-Man role. He credits his Billy Elliot acting coach and director, Nick Evans, for the career advice that taught him how to turn nervousness into excitement. But even with those wise words behind him, the audition process for the coveted role — which involved multiple trips to the Atlanta studios and readings with Robert Downey Jr — was long and arduous as producers made their way through 1500 hopefuls.
“It was one of the most stressful times of my whole life,” Holland reflects. “I had made three movies in the time I was auditioning for this movie and it was just the not knowing. It was a really tough period in my life but when I found out, I just went nuts.”
Holland’s initial audition tape saw him executing every kind of flip under the sun. The discipline, training and physicality of his years of dancing helped him prepare for long days on set trussed up in harnesses, making sure the action in Homecoming lives up to the MCU standard.
“I was doing stunts and fight scenes nearly every single day throughout the whole course of the movie, so the fact that I have had such an extensive dance background from Billy Elliot was a huge help and a really powerful asset to us at the Marvel team,” he says.
Becoming an integral part of the most successful film franchise in history — with 15 films so far and a combined box office total in excess of $15 billion — comes with bonuses and drawbacks. The MCU has made genuine stars out of the likes of Hemsworth, Evans and Tom Hiddleston, but also brings with it the glare of the public gaze.
So far Holland, who is signed for six appearances as Spider-Man and is currently filming the next two Avengers films, seems to be taking it all in his stride — and he says his friends and family won’t let him get ahead of himself.
“I am definitely the same person I was when I finished The Impossible,” he says. “That’s one of the things I really strive to keep. From my parents, definitely — I’m still doing the dishes at home. I have been living on my own with my best mate since I got (to Atlanta). I can’t wait to get back to London but my mum is going to give it to me when I get home.
“It’s funny, whenever they come to visit me on set, I always have a really easy day — so they don’t think I do anything. They think I have the easiest job on the planet.”
SEE SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING OPENS TODAY
Originally published as The new Spider-Man Tom Holland willed his role into existence but he won’t let it go to his head
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