Tom Holland has been weaving his way into our hearts for years.
It all started when he was cast as Peter Parker in the Marvel Spider-Man movies. And it’s continued now that we’ve gotten to know the actor.
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For instance, did you know that he visits children’s hospitals dressed as Spider-Man?
Here are 10+ interesting things you might not know.
1. He comes from a big family.
His dad, Dominic Holland, is a stand-up comedian and author, while his mother, Nikki Holland, is a professional comedian.
Tom is the oldest of four children who all boys. This includes Harry, Sam, and Paddy.
2. He’s British.
Don’t let that Peter Parker Queens accent fool you !
He was actually born in London, England on June 1, 1996. One time, his British accent even wreaked some havoc on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming .
Turns out, he accidentally did an entire scene in his real voice.
“There is one scene—I guess [dialect coach] Rick [Lipton] wasn’t there that day — where I went full English. And for some reason, no one picked up on it,” Holland revealed to Cinema Blend .
3. He’s wickedly good at dancing and gymnastics.
It was actually a Janet Jackson song that piqued his interest in the arts and inspired his mom to send him for real training.
“I don’t actually know which song it was,” he told CNET . “But when I was a baby, one of her songs used to send me into a dancing frenzy.”
4. He had his first acting role at 12.
He starred as the main character in Billy Elliot the Muscial .
Since it was a theatrical performance, he was able to utilize his background of gymnastics and dance.
5. He was the biggest Spider-Man fan as a kid.
Just like Robert Pattinson was obsessed with Batman before he became the Caped Crusador, Holland was obsessed with all things Spider-Man.
He told The Hollywood Reporter that the obsession started when he was just a baby.
“I reckon I had 30 Spider-Man costumes over the years since I was a little baby.”
“I had Spider-Man bed sheets. Two years ago, I went to a fancy dress party dressed as Spider-Man and looked like an absolute idiot.”
6. He’s the youngest actor to ever play Spider-Man.
And the best, if we do say so ourselves.
While Tobey Maguire was 27 and Andrew Garfield was 26, Holland was only 20 when he put on the red suit!
7. He has a big heart.
The actor has been using his spidey powers for good for years by visiting children’s hospitals dressed as Spider-Man.
Just try not to swoon over this video of him before Homecoming came out.
8. He’s even gotten his co-stars involved.
In 2019, Holland, along with co-stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Zendaya, made a surprise visit to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
They also surprised the kids with an advance screening of their movie.
9. He went to the same school as Adele.
They both attended England’s BRIT School For Performing Arts and Technology.
They weren’t the only famous alums who walked those halls. Jessie J, the late Amy Winehouse, and Leona Lewis also attended.
10. He’s obsessed with his dog, Tess.
Who wouldn’t be? Just look at that face!
“Happy national puppy day. Miss little Tess,” he captioned this sweet pic of the pup.
When Holland voiced the dog Jip in Dolittle , he said that he even based his character off the dog. Aww!
11. He runs a charitable organization with his family.
Have we mentioned that he’s basically the sweetest human ever?
The organization he runs is called the The Brother’s Trust . They host several events throughout the year to raise funds for different charities.
12. Chris Hemsworth helped him get cast as Spider-Man.
A lot of people don’t know this, but Holland and the Thor actor actually worked together on the 2015 film, In the Heart of the Sea .
So when casting began for Thor: Ragnarok , Hemsworth put in a good word for his British buddy.
Hemsworth told *Entertainment Tonight*:
“As they were casting him for Spider-Man, I did what I could do and made a call and said he’s one of the most talented people I’ve worked with and has such a big heart and appreciation,” he said.
“We have a great friendship, it’s a good mutual respect.”
13. He found out he was Spider-Man through Instagram.
When the actor was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show , he spilled the crazy story.
“I basically had been auditioning for about five months and after my final audition they said, ‘You’ll find out tomorrow.'”
After six weeks, though, he was still waiting.
Everything changed when Marvel posted on their Instagram, asking followers to click a link to find out who the new Spider-Man was.
“And that’s it, I just found out online! They didn’t call me up or anything,” Holland explained.
14. He’s over his lip-sync battle performance overshadowing his work.
In 2017, fans were treated to holland lip-syncing along to Rihanna’s “Umbrella” on Lip Sync Battle .
Donning a black wig, a skin-tight outfit, and killer dance moves, he completely blew the audience away.
So much so, though, that he’s sick of all the praise.
“I get more compliments on the lip sync battle than I do for any of my actual work, ever,” Holland told Wired .
“To the point where now I’m over it.”
