To say that the role of Spider-Man was life-changing for Tom Holland would be an understatement. Before making his debut as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War, he was known for his roles on stage and playing smaller supporting parts in films. However, handling the fame that came with the leading Marvel part wasn’t easy for the British actor who came clean about what made stardom especially hard for him.
If you've watched the Marvel movies in order and followed the actors who led them, you know these films catapult their leads into A-list levels of celebrity. This is especially true when you are playing a hero as iconic as Spider-Man. For a London native like Tom Holland, dealing with that fame was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. While the No Way Home actor was on The Rich Roll Podcast he explained why that was the case, saying:
I know being a Londoner, in London, if anyone speaks to you on the street as a Londoner, the first thought in your mind is like, 'Why are you talking to me?' If someone asked you the time, it's like, 'Why do you want to know the time?’ London is so antisocial when it comes to stranger to stranger. So I think as a true Londoner growing up and then becoming famous, it took me a really long time to adjust to being approached on the street.
Generally, to go from not being recognized to being noticed must be jarring. However, as Holland said, in London, it's extra unusual for people to come up and chat with you on the street. So, getting recognized for his work in public was really hard to adjust to.
However, just like how Peter Parker knows that “with great power comes great responsibility,” Holland previously spoke about being aware of the “responsibility” of playing the superhero. So, while getting used to the fame was difficult, he also understands it and the pressures that come with it.
He has also learned how to handle all this attention with his girlfriend Zendaya. One time, he spoke about how the Challengers actress gave him key advice when she caught him being “a bit of a dick” to his fans who would ask for a photo or autograph. He explained that she told him his suspicious response to those requests could come off as "aggro," and that the way she handles herself in public has helped him be more comfortable around fans too.
Tom Holland also told Rich Roll how “really lucky” he was that his life “changed slowly” and not overnight since he had already been working for a decade before he landed Spider-Man. At 12 years old, he starred in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical and made his film debut as a teen in the tear-jerking movie The Impossible. So, his previous acting experience definitely helped him as he ascended to a new level of notoriety with Marvel.
Now, after playing Spider-Man for the past eight years, Holland acknowledged that fame is just a part of his life, saying:
I've got used to it now. It's like part of my life now. But when people used to ask me for photos early on -- especially after Spider-Man 1 had come out -- I still couldn't quite understand why people wanted to take pictures with me. I used to find it really odd. And my reaction was like, 'No, I don't want to take a picture with you.' But now I've ironed that crease out a little bit.
Ultimately, embracing the highs and lows of celebrity can lead to unforgettable experiences that make the journey well worth it. While getting recognized constantly must be exhausting, it also presents opportunities and benefits. For example, Tom Holland recently landed “the role of a lifetime” in a Christopher Nolan movie due to his talents and success as an actor, and he hilariously got out of a speeding ticket because of Spider-Man.
Now, I’m sure Holland’s fame will grow even more once Spider-Man 4 comes out on July 24, 2026. However, he'll be ready for it because of all the experience he has from the Marvel movies (which you can watch with a Disney+ subscription) he's worked on.
