In “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Tom Holland plays a fearless superhero as he swings off buildings and battles powerful villains – but in real life, the British actor has struggled with his confidence.
Talking to GQ MagazineHolland, 25, shared that earlier in his career, he often felt scared or nervous when starting a new project. “As a kid, a lot of my confidence was actually fake,” he told the publication. “But, really, inside of me, ‘Oh, my God, I’m… terrified.’ ”
Holland was cast as Spider-Man in 2015 when he was just 19 years old, appearing in 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” before starring in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” alongside the superstar actors. Robert Downey Jr., Michael Keaton, Zendaya and others. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” opens in theaters nationwide on Thursday night and is expected to gross around $200 million in its opening weekend, CNBC report.
To ease his nerves on set, Holland said he has instead learned to convince himself to focus on feeling the excitement. “I got this advice as a kid that really helped me, which is: If you think about the actual feeling of anxiety, it’s also a physical sensation like being excited,” he tells me. GQ.
However, Holland recalls sometimes feeling exhausted when his acting career began and couldn’t figure out how to better set work-life boundaries. But Elizabeth Olsen, who co-starred with Holland in “Captain America: Civil War” and the Avengers movies, helped teach the actor how to stand up for himself. “She gave me great advice: ‘No’ is a full sentence… ‘No’ is enough,'” he told GQ.
Holland took back that advice on an international press tour for “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which saw him travel to 17 countries. When it came to the tour’s final stop, China, Holland said he was “really ill.” “But I’m not saying no,” he added.
During a press conference, Holland reached a breaking point: he left the stage and jumped to his feet. “I was under a lot of pressure to get the day’s work done,” he said. “That was the first time I actually said, ‘No, now I’m done. I gave you everything.’ “
Holland added that people often mistake his kindness for weakness. “Let me tell you, when you’re a 19-year-old, they really take advantage of you… you don’t know what’s better,” he said in his GQ interview. “Now I look back and go,” Well, I wish someone had told me I could say no. ” “
While filming the final scene for “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, Holland once again turned to Olsen’s advice. “I keep stopping [the shoot] and was like ‘I’m so sorry, I don’t believe what I’m saying,’ he told GQ.
Director Jon Watts pulled Holland aside to discuss the scene, and together they came up with a new idea. “Then we introduced it to the writers, they rewrote it, and it worked great,” he said.
Next, Holland is expected to star in the action movie “Uncharted,” which opens in February, and will play Fred Astaire in an upcoming biopic about the artist.
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