I always wanted to be in a gang and now I am in the Avengers
STAR TOM ON BECOMING THE NEWEST SPIDER-MAN
WHEN Tom Holland realised his childhood dream of slipping on the iconic Spider-Man suit he felt disappointed.
His own skintight outfit was not ready so he was using his stunt double’s, which was hanging off his smaller frame.
The actor said: “It wasn’t quite as heroic as I would have hoped. He was much bigger than I was. So when I wore the first Spider-Man costume it was kind of baggy and it was all sort of saggy round the face and stuff.”
But the important thing was that the small guy who had always felt he never fitted in was now an Avenger – and part of the coolest gang around.
Recalling his school days, Tom, 21, said: “I used to play rugby and then everyone grew up and got really big and I stayed really small. And I always was trying to get back into that sort of rugby clique but I was just too small.”
Tom is the second Brit, after Andrew Garfield, to play Peter Parker, aka Spidey, after bagging a six-film deal with Marvel Studios.
The first film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, was released this week and follows his cameo as the webbed wonder in Captain America: Civil War last year, which thrilled critics.
Tom also appears in Avengers: Infinity War, out next year, alongside Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr, Thor actor Chris Hemsworth and Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson.
And he landed the Spidey role that all boys dream of thanks to the physique he once felt held him back.
Tom excelled at gymnastics as a kid and won the part of Billy Elliot in the West End stage show aged 12. There, he got the very best dance training and that, combined with his acting talent and build, made him a shoo-in as the diminutive, acrobatic Spidey.
He says: “Physicality is a large part of acting. For me, the fact that I’ve had such good dancing training and such a strong background in gymnastics has
The star of dance stage show Billy Elliot tells how the son of a British comedian cracked Hollywood to become the latest comic book hero
been such a fantastic thing because I’ve been able to embody characters on a more physical level.
“Spider-Man is one of the most physical characters in the Marvel universe and the world of cinema. I’m lucky I have that background.”
Tom is living the dream. Speaking of working with Downey – who plays Parker’s mentor, Iron Man genius Tony Stark – he describes him as the “nicest guy” and “super cool”.
Tom said: “He texted me last night, he watched the movie yesterday, him and some of his fellow Avengers, and they were all saying such lovely things about it and they’re all very proud of me and stuff. So it was a really nice thing to wake up to.”
Comparing the Avengers with the schoolyard clique, he said: “For me, getting into the Avengers has been a similar sort of thing – but the Avengers are far more welcoming.”
Tom grew up with his three brothers in Kingston upon Thames, in London’s commuter belt. His father, Dominic Holland, is a comedian.
He won his Billy Elliot role in 2008, after its choreographer spotted him
dancing with his local group. He hit the stage after two years of training – first as Billy’s best mate Michael, then as Billy.
And he said the companionship of the other Billies made his time on the musical an amazing experience.
Tom said: “I think the amazing thing about Billy Elliot is we didn’t grow up like everyone else but we grew up together.
“There was 20 of us living in a house. So it wasn’t like I grew up by myself, I had 20 kids around going through the same situation.”
Tom’s early success meant returning to a normal school in 2010 was a tricky transition.
“I matured very quickly after Billy Elliot,” he said. “I remember coming back to school after working with adults for two years and being like, ‘You guys are such children’.”
Tom made his film debut in 2012’s The Impossible, with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, and won breakthrough and young actor awards.
He also appeared on TV shows such as period drama Wolf Hall.
This year, he was on the big screen in The Lost City of Z, alongside Charlie Hunnan.
But joining the Marvel stable has really established Tom in Tinseltown. He was always a Spider-Man fan.
He said: “I had everything from the action figures to the bed sheet covers to the films to the cartoons – everything.”
After finally getting his own suit for the film, playing his idol felt incredible.
He said: “When I got to wear this Spider-Man costume, it was awesome, because it fit me, after weeks and weeks of fittings and trials and stuff, so it was a pretty amazing experience the first time I wore that costume.”
And despite the Marvel films being a billion-dollar franchise, Tom says he has been allowed to improvise during shoots – which he loved.
He said: “Nine times out of 10 what you do is rubbish but that one time you do something really great, it can switch a scene around. There are lots of moments in the movie that are very spontaneous.”
One such instance turned out to be one of the film’s funniest moments.
Tom said: “The bit where I hug Robert in the trailer, that was an improvised moment. I really wanted to hug him because he’s Robert Downey Jr. It turned out to be one of the funniest bits in the movie.”
But it was not so funny when he got punched during a fight scene after forgetting to duck.
Tom said: “You run through the fight as if it is a dance and I just forgot to duck and the stunt man forgot to vocalise hitting me and he punched me in the back of the head so hard.
“And he had this big metal gauntlet on his hand. That was probably the worst I ever got hurt on set.
“It’s not in the movie. I got punched for no reason. But it’s a good story.”
No doubt Tom’s Spidey sense is now tingling in anticipation of the many stories yet to come as he swings into the Hollywood big time.