When Tom Holland first slid into the iconic Spider-Man suit, he expected to feel like a superhero. But instead, he was disappointed. Why? His suit wasn’t ready, so he had to borrow his stunt doubles. And guess what? It didn’t fit. At all. “It wasn’t quite as heroic as I would have hoped,” Tom said. “He was much bigger than I was. So when I wore the first Spider-Man costume, it was kind of baggy and saggy around the face and stuff.” It was not precisely the Spidey debut he had in mind
But here’s the twist: Tom was still living the dream despite the suit being slightly off. The kid who always felt too small—especially in rugby class—was now part of the Avengers. And that’s a flex. Tom grew up feeling out of place. “I stayed tiny, and I always was trying to get back into that sort of rugby clique, but I was just too small,” he remembered. Fast forward to 2016, and now he’s a legit Avenger. Yeah, life worked out.
Tom wasn’t just any actor—he was the second Brit, after Andrew Garfield, to snag the role of Peter Parker. Scoring that Spider-Man gig? Huge deal. Not only did he land the part, but he also locked in a six-movie deal with Marvel Studios. His first full solo flick? Spider-Man: Homecoming. But before that, we got a little taste of Captain America: Civil War, where Tom proved he was ready to swing into action. With his gymnastics and dance background, he had the perfect build for Spidey. “Spider-Man is one of the most physical characters in the MCU… I’m lucky I have that background,” he said. No kidding, man.
By the time Avengers: Infinity War hit, Tom was bottomless in the action with the big dogs—Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow). Talk about leveling up. And don’t sleep on the fact that RDJ, his mentor, hit him up after watching Homecoming to let him know how proud he was. “He’s the nicest guy… super cool,” Tom said. That’s some severe Avengers love right there.
For Tom, getting into the Avengers felt like finally getting into that cool kids’ clique he never quite fit into growing up. “The Avengers are just far more welcoming,” he said, comparing it to his schoolyard days. Tom grew up in Kingston upon Thames, London, as the youngest of three brothers, with his dad being comedian Dominic Holland. But it was Billy Elliot where Tom first caught the big break. He won the role of Billy, and after two years of training, he was killing it on stage before transitioning to Hollywood fame.
Still, adjusting to “normal” school life after his success in Billy Elliot wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. But Tom wasn’t the type to back down from any challenge—he was just getting started.
