5 Things You Might Not Know About Actor Tom Holland

Tom Holland is best-known for his role in the massively successful Spider-Man movie franchise, dating back to 2016. Holland’s portrayal of the web-slinger has included several movies from both Sony Group SONY and Walt Disney Co DIS.

Holland is currently starring as Nathan Drake in the movie “Uncharted” from Sony that is based on a video game of the same name. The movie opened in theaters on Feb. 18, 2022.

Here are five things you might not know about Tom Holland.

1. Played Billy Elliot: After taking hip-hop dance classes, Holland auditioned for Billy Elliot, the Musical. Holland had no formal ballet or drama training, but showed strong stage presence. Holland took two years of ballet lessons before having his debut as Billy’s best friend Michael in the musical.

Holland played the title character in Billy Elliot the Musical in London in 2008. The performance led to film work for Holland, who went on to voice a character in “The Secret World of Arrietty” and later landed a role in “The Impossible.”

2. Cast as Spider-Man: Holland auditioned for the role of Spider-Man, a role that he would earn at the age of 19. This was a change from the last two actors who had portrayed the web-slinger on film, with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield both in their mid-to-late 20s when they first played Spider-Man.

Marvel casting director Sarah Halley has been credited with selecting Holland for the role of Spider-Man, telling directors Joe and Anthony Russo that he was the right person for the film. One thing that stood out about Holland, when compared to others that auditioned, was a standing backflip, which he did in front of casting directors.

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3. Diagnosed With Dyslexia: Holland has spoken openly on his diagnosis of dyslexia and the impact it had on his career.

“It’s just about taking your time. The better prepared you are for anything, the more you will be able to do and accomplish things that are fantastic,” Holland said.

Holland received his diagnosis at the age of seven while enrolled in a private school in England.

4. Spider-Man Tattoo: To celebrate getting the role of Spider-Man, Holland got a tattoo. The actor has the Spider-man logo tattooed on the bottom of his foot. Holland revealed that the tattoo had to be reinked three separate times because it kept fading quickly. The tattoo was done by Bang Bang Tattoo in New York City, a popular tattoo shop for celebrities.

5. Favorite EPL Team: Holland has stated that Tottenham is his favorite soccer team. Holland told GQ that he wanted Tottenham to reach the Champions League one season.

“Because Tottenham is my team,” Holland said.

Some were quick to find pictures of Holland wearing Chelsea and Arsenal jerseys during his childhood, which has even prompted Wikipedia to list Arsenal as Holland’s favorite team.

“This is not true, at all. I played for the Arsenal vets once – and that’s not because I’m good at football, it’s because they were short of that many players,” Holland said of the Wikipedia fact.

Photo: Courtesy of Gage Skidmor on Flickr