The Unbelievable Rise of Tom Holland

The Rise of Tom Holland

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be discussing The Rise of Tom Holland.

In this video, we’ll be getting up close and personal with “Spider-Man” star Tom Holland. Though best known for his MCU role as Peter Parker, this talented young actor’s accomplishments are many and varied. So without further ado, let’s swing into it!

Thomas Stanley Holland was born on June 1st, 1996 in Kingston upon Thames, London, England. His parents, Dominic and Nicola Elizabeth Holland both have a background in the arts and entertainment. His mother is a photographer and his father works as an author and comedian. Tom Holland’s grandparents on his father’s side are from Ireland, and he’s often expressed great pride in his Irish roots. The eldest of four siblings, Tom’s twin brothers Harry and Sam were born in 1999. Paddy (the youngest) was born in 2004.

To reach such performing heights of success at such a young age, one typically needs to be drawn to the arts early in life. That certainly holds true for Tom Holland! Though best known today as an actor, his first love was dance. He began learning hip hop dancing at a very young age and credits Janet Jackson as his inspiration. No one remembers what song it was specifically, but as a child, one of her tracks never failed to make him dance, and so his mother signed him up for classes.

Sadly, as many artistic or creative kids know from firsthand experience, a love of the arts isn’t always appreciated by other kids in the playground. Being a young entertainer invites both desired attention and a more unwanted variety: bullying. Speaking with People Magazine, Holland opened up about the “rough patches” in his childhood. Though he was picked on for his love of dance, he says that “you couldn’t hit [me] hard enough to stop [me] from doing it.”

Thankfully, Holland continued to pursue dance, despite peer pressure. And soon enough, that passion began evolving into a career. A choreographer recognized his obvious talent at the 2006 Richmond Dance Festival, where he was performing with a dance school. He was encouraged to try out for “Billy Elliot.” For anyone familiar with that story, it’s not hard to see how Tom’s personal experience with bullying and love of dance makes him a great choice for the leading role. But it was still a long and challenging journey to the stage. Eight auditions and two years of training followed, during which Tom was trained in acting, dance and gymnastics. In 2008, Holland finally debuted onstage in the role of Michael. Just a little over 2 months later, in September of 2008, he played the titular role as Billy Elliot for the first time.

Holland had made a name for himself in the West End, but in 2010, he finally ended his run as Billy Elliot. Armed with his various talents, and experience well beyond his years, Holland began the often arduous progress of breaking into the film industry. His first credit was for the British dub of the Studio Ghibli film, “Arrietty” in 2011. The next year, he made his live-action debut in “The Impossible” opposite Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. Despite his young age and inexperience onscreen, Holland’s performance was met with universal acclaim. There was even some Oscar buzz. While he didn’t get a nod from the Academy in the end, his performance did earn him numerous nominations from other award bodies.

His next film credit came in 2013’s “How I Live Now”. Though the film made little impact at the time, in hindsight it seems like a who’s who of upcoming stars to watch; it paired Tom Holland with Saoirse Ronan and George MacKay.

You’d think that a success like “The Impossible” would have solidified Holland’s place in the industry. But as many child actors can attest, nothing is guaranteed in this business. 2013 and 2014 were slow years for Holland. As he explained to Jimmy Kimmel, he was at an awkward age, and so the roles were few and far between. Despite having a few big credits to his name, Holland actually went to carpentry school.

While it certainly adds to Tom Holland’s appeal that he’s also good with his hands, we’re relieved that carpentry was a brief detour. In 2015, he starred alongside Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, in Ron Howard’s “The Heart of the Sea”. The film underperformed, but it further reaffirmed Holland’s talents and onscreen presence. That same year, he also appeared in the BBC historical drama, “Wolf Hall”. It was by all accounts a good year for the actor, but for Holland, the highlight wasn’t a performance, but rather a casting announcement: he had landed the role of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In the summer of 2015, Marvel introduced the world to the new web-slinger. As Holland describes it, his “life was flipped upside down" when the news broke. It’s a funny choice of words, considering Holland literally flipped into his audition for the role. As MCU director Joe Russo later explained, Holland was able to capture both emotional intensity and the physicality of the character. And just like that, Tom Holland’s life was forever changed. Not only did his face become an instantly recognizable one, but he signed a six picture deal with the star-making studio.

Tom Holland’s schedule has been jam-packed since joining the MCU. Beginning with his unforgettable introduction in 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War”, he’s appeared in “Avengers: Infinity War”, “Avengers: Endgame” and two solo Spidey outings. Even in the ensemble films, Holland’s version of Peter Parker always makes a big impression. It was his performance in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, however, that really solidified him as this generation’s Spider-Man. Youthful, charismatic but self-conscious, fallible and deeply human, Holland’s version of Peter Parker is impossible not to love.

Considering how busy the MCU has kept him, you’d think Tom Holland wouldn’t have time for anything other than being Spider-Man. But the young star has already put his newfound fame to good use. Since becoming Spidey, he’s made numerous hospital visits to fans and also delivered toys as part of the Marvel: The Universe Unites campaign. As fans likely already know, the actor has an adorable pitbull named Tessa; she’s joined him at a number of promotional events. A dog lover, Holland has also used his popularity to help raise funding and awareness for animal rescue, and push back against breed-specific legislation. As if that’s not enough, he and his family established the Brothers Trust in 2017. Through this organization, Tom and his siblings run events and raise funds for a multitude of charities. Tom Holland is truly a hero on and offscreen.

In addition to his MCU work and volunteering, Tom Holland has somehow also found time to diversify his resume. Interspersed with his Spidey outings, the actor has appeared in a number of other more grounded films including “The Lost Kingdom of Z”, “The Current War” and “Pilgrimage”. You may recognize his voice in high profile animated films like “Spies in Disguise” and the 2020 Pixar movie “Onward”. 2020 saw Holland take on one of his most ambitious roles to date, that of Arvin Russell in “The Devil All the Time”. A morally complex protagonist, Arvin’s sense of justice is a significant departure from that of Peter Parker’s. The role really showcases Holland’s range and versatility, teasing a bright future as a leading man beyond the MCU.

Speaking of which, Tom Holland already has a number of high profile projects on the horizon. After multiple delays, the “Uncharted” film is finally happening with him in the starring role. He’s also been cast in the lead role of Nico Walker in “Cherry”, a crime drama directed by the Russo Brothers. With the next Spider-Man instalment in the works, it’s safe to say that we’ll — thankfully — be seeing a lot of Tom Holland in the coming years.