Playing Spider-Man is a family affair for its newlywed British star Tom Holland, whose wife Zendaya is acting alongside him, while his little brother, Paddy, was on the art team. The fourth movie in the Marvel franchise, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, opens in the UK on Wednesday July 31 and is forecast to make $1 billion.
Praising the performance of Zendaya, 29, who plays Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson, the girlfriend of Spider-Man’s alter ego Peter Benjamin Parker, Tom says: “She is an incredible actress. I think what I love about watching her work is she’s just fearless. I think she’s the best actor going.”
He also feels lucky to have a wife who understands the industry, saying: “It’s a wild world. And there are ups and downs. It’s so nice to have someone that understands that. You can talk each other down or you can big each other up and it’s a lifeline. I couldn’t imagine doing what I’d do without her.”
The couple married in secret last month, having started dating in 2020 while filming Spider-Man: No Way Home in Atlanta. Tom, 30, made his cinematic debut as Spider-Man in the 2016 Marvel movie Captain America: Civil War, taking over from fellow Britt Andrew Garfield.
And in the latest film, Tom, who has three brothers – twins Sam, a chef, and Harry, 27, and Paddy, 21 – has been delighted to see the youngest join him on the movie.
The actor, who grew-up in Kingston upon Thames, south West London, with his siblings and their parents Dominic, a stand-up comic and Nikki, a photographer, says: “Paddy is a really talented painter. Also, Harry was my assistant for a long time, which was great. He was super professional and he and I are now running a production company together.”
Meanwhile, all four brothers are patrons of The Brothers Trust – a charity set up in 2017 by their parents, maximising Tom’s fame to raise funds for various charities.
Praising his parents, Tom, who has homes in London and Los Angeles and an estimated wealth of £18million, says: “My dad is a stand up. As a kid, I always thought he was just unemployed , because he was always around. He would put us to bed and then he would go off and do his job. I had no idea what my dad did at night.”
He remembers his dad keenly encouraging dinnertime conversation, adding: “When we were asked how our day was at school, saying “good” was never a good enough answer. I think his showmanship really helped us as young kids to become, you know, social. And I think it’s really helped me in my life and my career.
“We had an amazing childhood and my parents are such wonderful people. I really admire both of them. My mum continued working, but was also like the most hands-on mum. Dad would only work when we were asleep, so he was always there.”
He also feels that, as an actor, he has things easy compared to his dad. He says: “When I go to work, I get picked up. Someone makes my breakfast. Someone hands me the words that I’m supposed to say.
“Someone will tell me where I’m supposed to stand. Someone dresses me and I’m considered an artist, but so much of that work is done for me. Then backstage, you see comics like my dad take their anoraks off, put their packed lunches on the side.
“They go out, they nail it, they come in and they head off to the next club. To see the singular effort that it takes, I was always so impressed by that. And I love that my dad took me to see that, because it was really eye opening to me.”
His grounded childhood and solid relationship with Zendaya helped him in his recent role as Telemachus, the young prince of Ithaca and son of Matt Damon’s character Odysseus, in Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster The Odyssey.
Describing it as “one of the toughest jobs I’ve ever had,” he says: “It was a dream come true job working with Chris Nolan. It was just a masterclass in patience, professionalism and confidence. It was awesome. And Chris really gives you a lot of confidence.”
But he feels better equipped for his next role, playing Hollywood great Fred Astaire in a new biopic, which will start filming next year, after starring in the West End Billy Elliott stage show from the age of 11.
Already in rehearsals for the movie, being made by Paddington producer Paul King, he says: “My parents were always huge fans of dancing and me and my brothers were all sent to this Saturday school called Nifty Feet. I started Billy Elliot when I was 11 and finished when I was 13. It was a riot. “
He also received high praise for a striptease dance to Umbrella, performed in front of Rhianna on Saturday Night Live – which went viral. He says: “I get more compliments for that dance than for any piece of work I have ever done.”
But while he told Paul King he could dance, he admits: “It was the first time I had worn tap shoes in 15 years. When we put the Billy Elliot music on, I was like, ‘I’m either going to do something amazing here or I’m really going to shoot myself in the foot’”.
All the moves came flooding back, however, and he says: “I could see the lights. I could see the audience. And without even having to think of what the first step was, it just happened naturally. It was really exciting.” The biopic will chart the rise of Astaire’s career from a young vaudeville act with his sister Adele, to becoming a leading man in Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Speaking on the US podcast Good Hang, Tom continues: “I’ve been very nervous about the idea of making the film. It’’s going to be a huge undertaking. It’s a big movie.” While he thought he’d quit dancing after Billy Elliot, he adds: “To be able to do that again and pick up dancing from square one and try to get back into it, I think is going to be so fulfilling.”
Challenged by his combination of fear and excitement, he says: “If I don’t commit to it 100%, it won’t work. And I kind of love the idea of that.”
Moving into his 30s has also had a profound effect on the star. He says: “I have recently turned 30. I’m incredibly proud of my 20s. I look back at the things that have happened in my life, personally and then professionally, and I look back on them really, really fondly.
“I’m kind of sad to say goodbye to my 20s, but equally excited to walk into my 30s.” He says the new decade means he’s no longer a “kid in the industry,” adding: “I’m really excited to be…a young man on set and experience what that’s like. I have some really exciting projects in the pipeline. And yeah, I’m excited.”