From his jaw-dropping performance of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” as part of The Tonight Show’s Lip Sync Battle to his wholesome and wholehearted performance as Peter Parker, he’s taken the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the world at large by storm.
But for all the speed and sparkle of his ride to the top, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the actor we’re all gearing up to watch quip, kick, and thwip his way through Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man No Way Home.
It turns out that Holland, at only 24 years old, is already quite a lot more than the chipper kid he portrays, and that his ambitions are likely to take him far beyond the realm of spandex and spider-senses. So, we went ahead and rounded up some of the unlikeliest, most resonant, and least-discussed aspects of the man behind the web-shooters.
There are few superhero costumes as iconic as Spider-Man. That’s one of the reasons it hasn’t changed much since its introduction in 1962 — from the bold color scheme to the dramatically flared eyes, it was a classic from the moment it debuted.
Hollywood can, as even the most dreamy observer could tell you, be a place of extreme lows. Shattered dreams and low-level gigs aren’t just a threat to every would-be actor crowding its avenues, but a likelihood.
In many ways, Peter Parker and Tom Holland are similar people. Both the web-slinger and the eager young actor are hard workers with an earnest and obvious passion for what they do.
For all its riches and amusements, fame does come with one especially difficult sacrifice for Holland: time with his beloved dog, Tessa. Tessa’s pictures flood his Instagram, from photos of her dressed as a fairy to her welcoming him home.
He was with her, in fact, when he learned he’d snagged the role of Spider-Man and she’s accompanied him on the red carpet.
