Tom Holland admits he doesn’t really know what the plot of the upcoming Spider-Man sequel is, despite being eight weeks into shooting.
The 24-year-old actor began filming the untitled third installment in the Spider-Man series last fall in Atlanta on a CоVID-19 secure set. However, when interviewed by Esquire Magazine just before Christmas, Holland confessed that he’s not sure what the movie is about. “I honestly have no idea what this film is about, and I’m eight weeks into shooting it,” he said.
While Holland might be exaggerating a bit, he’s notorious for accidentally revealing spoilers when discussing his Marvel films. He did clarify rumors about the possible return of former Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, stating, “No, no, they will not be appearing in this film. Unless they’ve hidden the biggest surprise from me, which I think is too big a sеcrеt to keep from me. But as of now, no. It’ll be a continuation of the Spider-Man movies we’ve been making.”
Holland, known for being easygoing on set, revealed why he took a stand with producers for the first time. It involved a wig he was asked to wear due to his haircut for a previous film, Uncharted, where he had shaved sides and slicked-back hair. He said, “They put this wig on me that was just around the sides. For the first time, I put my foot down and said, ‘I’m not f**king wearing that wig. I’m going to have shorter hair, and you’ll have to deal with it!'”
Holland also discussed his memorable performance of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” in drag on Lip Sync Bɑttle, which has garnered over 68 million views on YouTube. He shared, “At that point, nobody really knew who I was. I was performing with Zendaya, who is incredibly famous, and I was nervous about being this random guy on stage. So I thought I needed to do something bold, something that people would remember, even if they didn’t know me. That’s why I decided to dance in the rain in fishnet tights.”
His latest movie, Cherry, comes out this month. It’s based on Nico Walker’s 2018 novel, in which Holland plays the lead role of an Army medic with PTSD who becomes ɑddicted to opioids and starts robbing banks to fund his addiction. He explained, “I saw it as an opportunity to show young people that opioid addiction is a serious issue, and one wrong choice can lead to devastating consequences. I hope the film makes people think, ‘I’m not going to do drᴜgs.'”
On combating the opioid crisis, Holland believes the focus should be on treating addicts with compassion, not criminalising them. He added, “People can become ɑddicted to substances for various reasons. It’s tragic, but it’s not uncommon for someone to seek help from a doctor for pɑin or PTSD and end up being prescribed powerful opioids like OxyContin. The companies who sell these drᴜgs should be held accountable.”
Reflecting on his personal goals, Holland shared that his parents’ approval means the most to him. He said, “If I seek anyone’s approval, it would be my parents’. That would be the highest level of achievement.”