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Tom Holland

75m 27s

Tom Holland

In this episode of *Good Hang*, host Amy interviews Tom Holland, star of *The Odyssey* and *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*. Before Tom joins, she speaks with Jacob Batalon, Tom’s co-star and real-life friend. Jacob shares how they met during screen tests in 2016 and have grown up together on set, emphasizing Tom’s kindness, support, and role as a mentor. Jacob reveals Tom bought him a Rolex, highlighting their deep bond. When Tom appears, he discusses his upbringing as the oldest of four boys in Southwest London, with a comedian father who used family dinners as warm-ups for shows and a photographer mother. He notes his dad would roast any friends who came over. Tom talks about his brother Harry working as his assistant and their current production company aimed at reviving mid-budget films. He also describes the chaos of a house full of boys, with broken items and constant arguments, and reflects on how moving out taught him his parents were the messy ones, not his siblings. The conversation touches on birth order, family dynamics, and the importance of close friendships, with Tom embracing the responsibility of being a positive male role model.

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(upbeat music) Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of Good Hang. I am very excited. We have a movie star with us today. We have a superstar and that is Tom Holland. Tom Holland, who is in two of the biggest movies to come out this summer, The Odyssey and Spider-Man, Brand New Day. I think they're coming out in the same month. He's a legend, he's the best. And we talk about so many great things. We talk about your dad roasting your friends. We talk about the joy of dancing. We talk about doing American accents. And I tell him that I believe that he is the type of man that will save us from toxic masculinity. So he takes on that responsibility like a good man does. So cannot wait to get started, but before we do, we always talk to somebody who knows our guests and we speak to Jacob, Badalone today. Jacob, who plays Ned in Spider-Man, is Tom's really good friend in real life. I mean, they grew up together on set, you guys. So let's get Jacob on the line here. And I'm going to get my headphones. And we'll check in. Jacob, are you there? [MUSIC PLAYING] This episode of Good Hang is presented by Paul Molliv. Family time isn't just the big moments. It's weeknight dinners sitting around the table. Everyone talking at once. So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Paul Molliv ultra. Paul Molliv's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9% of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier. So you can spend less time tackling dirty dishes and more time together. Shop now at PaulMolliv.com. [MUSIC PLAYING] Hey. Jacob? Hey, hey, what's going on? Mahalo. Oh my god. Hey. Hi. What's going on? I'm so sorry. My dog is not leaving me alone. Not at all. Let's talk about this dog. For people that can't see this dog, what kind of dog we got here? She's a multi-pool. So-- She's still cute. She's well-grilled. Yeah, she's pretty. She's just got her haircut. And she's a sort of guy. She was not bothering me the whole day. And then as soon she sees me on Zoom, she's like, oh, it's fucking time to get going. We love dogs on Zoom. What's her name? Her name is Voltix, like the Pokemon. Yeah. Amazing. Yeah, so there's that. Jacob, it is so nice to talk to you. Oh, thank you so much for having me. This is so awesome. I literally need to get the gushing out of the way, pause. I literally-- I love you so much. This is so great. I'm such a big fan of you. Thank you very, very much for saying that. I have two teenage boys, and they're kind of blown away than I'm talking to you today. Amazing. Oh, that's really nice. You're very, very famous. And they love your work as you are. And I love-- I love-- I will just say it. I feel it already. The work that you do, your spirit comes through. Thank you so much. That means a lot to me. Thank you. Of course, it's really kind. And may I say, it's also just it's very Hawaiian. Appreciate it. Yeah. I mean, hopefully people are still proud of me back home. Well, there is this thing. There's something very hard to pin down or explain. It almost like explaining it ruins it, but about Hawaiian people and culture. But I mean, I just have to say, thank you for your energy, and Hawaii and their energy, because it means a lot. We're thrilled to talk to you today because you and Tom Holland, our guest, who I've never had the pleasure to meet and can't wait to meet, are genuinely really good friends. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think it's not hyperbole to say that we've literally seen each other grow up. And I'm obviously proud of who's become and what he's done with his life. And where he's gone his career as well. But it's crazy. At the time, we weren't even allowed to drink alcohol. And now we're 30. I know. I mean, in researching for today, the fact that when you guys got the parts, you were 18, 19? Yeah. Yeah, we were about to make it. And frankly, signing a contract that was like, we're going to do a lot of movies with you. And it's going to be the next 10 years of your life. That is a big decision to make at that age. And boy, you're gambling that the person you're working with. Yeah, hopefully is not a dick, right? [LAUGHTER] Did you guys read together, auditioned together, and read together? Yeah. So I had done the traditional thing of, well, I think self-tapes at the time were still kind of new. So I did a couple of those. And then we did a screen test together for the first time. And I think ever since that time, it was back in like 2016. I think that the chemistry was pretty apparent. And at that time, I remember a lot. I feel like, for me, that was my first ever job. And so that kind of big audition and coming in, it was all literally such a blur that I barely remember what we said to each other. I just remember thinking, like, God, I really hope I have a job after school. But it was just such a great time with him, because he was such an easygoing person. And he made it so light. And at that time, John Watts, our director at the time, really made it a point for us to really bond. And it was such a beautiful story of two friends coming together out of nowhere. Yes. I mean, you can just tell that you two really love and enjoy each other. And the movie hinges a lot on Peter and Ned's relationship. Yeah, absolutely. I think Tom is also very big on making those relationships feel real. And that's kind of the backbone of Peter Parker's story. So I think he was also a very big proponent of making sure those relationships make sense and that it works. Yeah. I mean, it goes deeper to this, just this idea of male friendships and how important they are and how men really need friends. Absolutely. I don't want to advocate male loneliness. Yeah, it's true. It's a real thing to have somebody that you know has your back. And that also can kind of be with you through the tough times. Absolutely. In this new movie, I mean, there are some tough times because you guys all forget that you know each other and you have to kind of, you have to learn to figure out what's great about each other again. It's a cool metaphor. Right. Yeah, it's really cool and hopefully it works out for him. Usually, usually Spider-Man's life is not great. So. Now, are you, did you grow up as a, as a big fan of Marvel and comic books and these characters? You know, I got to say I was more of a power ranger guy. Oh, power ranger is definitely my thing. Yes. But I think what did you like about power rangers? I think it's just like the colored leotards. It's just like. Yeah, it's like. And just like they're cool helmets because I know that obviously wasn't them doing the fight scenes, but it was still super cool. I really, I really got into a superhero stuff like actually when Toby McGuire was doing Spider-Man. And I think a lot of us for people who were like millennials, I think that was like our, that was like our guy. Yeah. I remember when I first saw Spider-Man, I thought like, how did this guy do all of this stuff? Yeah. And then I see Tom doing all this stuff by himself and it's like insane. Like it's actually crazy to be, you know, I can 30. Like not that 30 is old or anything, but like when he was 19, he would get knocked down and come right back up. And now like, you know, he needs a couple of days. Jacob, I want to talk about this with him today because I'd like him to stop. It's I'm telling it like is he's actually doing something just too dangerous for his body. Like, you know, they're stunned before reading. Yeah. Okay, this isn't going to go over well, but I don't even think there should be any stunts at all in any movies. It's just like doing like, I'm just taxes. Yeah, he does his taxes almost. Yeah, exactly. Yes, Peter learns to do his taxes and net helps him and they go get ice cream as a little treat. And then they watch a movie and they that's what I want to see. And then that's how the movie ends up that I should be very beautiful. I think it's really. And they just put ice on some of their old injuries. Yeah, yeah, like especially on their knees, my knees are hurting. Oh my goodness. Yeah, they put some ice on their knees. And maybe I don't know, they call like, you know, they they get food delivered and they just chill. Oh my god. You know, my Mrs. This is so random, but she put me on to putting like heat pads on my lower back. Oh my god. It's not random. Let's talk about heat on your lower back. I mean, I'm lying on a heating pad all day. I could sleep in all day now. But you want to want you want me to blow your mind right behind me. Yeah. I'm going to show you this. Right behind me. I am a. I'm heating. Oh, you put this in the microwave. Oh, yes. Right, right. Oh my goodness. And you can wrap it on. Oh, I don't know. Your shoulder or your lower back. I can't tell you what. It's incredible. I am literally. This is how I know like I'm so turned on by that. I genuinely want to buy one. Yeah. Oh, I'm going to send you one. Oh, thank you. Before we get to your question for Tom, just let's talk a little bit more about what's so great about it. What's so great about him? Yeah. I think again, from the first time I met him, he's just been so, he's been so welcoming and so nice to me. And obviously like he'd done a few things before I had it. and he was really willing to be there forming support me. And there was a lot of times earlier in my career where I didn't really know what I was doing just in general. I have a whole team of people to help me through that stuff, but at the same time, I think just dealing with the sort of a factory part of it, I think he was always there to be supportive of me. And I know him, like as a person, I just know he would never talk dirty behind my back. - Yeah. - And he's just an amazing, good person like that. And I don't want to flex too hard, but he just bought me this little roly. - It's going to be easy. - I wanted to wear it for him, 'cause that's my boy for life. (laughing) I hope it doesn't mind that I told everyone that. - Well, he's very British, so he'll probably be a little embarrassed. - Super embarrassed. - But we can flash in a little bit. Well, that's a real friend. It's like, you know, one of my friends has ever bought me a Rolex. - I think this is your sign Amy. You gotta reassemble, you gotta like re-bunch him up. - It's really making me feel like, do I even have friends? - That's what I said. (laughing) I just, this is also like another side piece to my story. I just had a bachelor party in Vegas. And it was so fun. It was the greatest time ever. And it just like, I should have everyone this watch. And they were all like, oh, that's a great watch. And I'm like, yeah, one of my closest friends got it for me. So, you know. (laughing) - Oh man, Jacob. That is so awesome. - He's truly just an amazing person. And like I can't tell you, like the way he carries himself, I mean, just professionally. And like, you know, in his personal life, he just makes sure that everyone around him is like comfortable. But he also doesn't take, you know, shit from anybody. He's very, he very stands on himself and for his people. And I think I try to carry that with myself in my own personal life because he's really been a great role model to me. And it's probably the most I've talked really great about him. - Yeah, well, because I-- - I'm big a lot of people. - You probably give each other a lot of shit. - You know, I think I talk a lot more shit to each other than we do. Like I do love my death though. Like I know that he only ever shows me love. - Oh, thank you so much for saying that. And do you have a question? Do you think I should ask him today something he would want to talk about, a story or something that you think would be good? - Oh my gosh. (laughing) - If he would want to, I think you should ask him about the boiling rock part one. - Fantastic. - I think that'll really, that'll put a smile on his face. - The boiling rock part one. - Part one, yes. That is definitely some Jacob and Tom inside stuff. (laughing) - Okay, perfect. Maybe he'll say no comment and that would be fine too. - I guess he would, yeah. - Perfect. I mean, this is the kind of, this is the kind of scoop we need. (laughing) - Well congratulations on your impending marriage. - Oh, thank you so much. I appreciate it. - Thank you. - You really are heading into your 30s with like a tight lower back and a fancy watch and a new bride. (laughing) - It's pretty amazing. It's a pretty good way to get in. (laughing) - It's been so nice talking to you. - It's so great to meet you. - Thank you again for your work. I really mean it that the relationship that you guys have, you know, it's especially for young men who are, men and women who are watching it, it's really important to show those kind of relationships and so. - Oh, thank you. - Thanks for your work and such a pleasure talking to you. - Yeah, thank you. Hope to see you soon. - I hope so, Jacob. - All right, all right. - Okay, take care. - All right, I'll speak to you soon. Bye. - Bye-bye. (upbeat music) - This episode is brought to you by Subaru. Most cars just stick to the asphalt, but hybrids can be found on dirt roads, back roads, and everything in between. If the Subaru Cross-Trek Hybrid and Subaru Forester Hybrid were built for adventure, with up to 597 miles per tank in the Cross-Trek Hybrid and 581 miles in the Forester Hybrid, love goes the extra mile in the Subaru Forester Hybrid and Cross-Trek Hybrid. Visit Subaru.com/hybrid to learn more. Maximum range based on EPA-estimated combined fuel economy and a full tank of fuel. Actual mileage and range may vary. - Tom, I just want to start by saying I know your British, so I will not compliment you that much. - Okay, fantastic. Great start. - We'll get to teasing pretty fast. But you are probably the biggest movie star that we've had on Good Hang. You are my Tom Cruise. You are. - Oh, fantastic. Wow, thank you so much. - You are great. - I think you are saving movies. - Thank you. - And I think you are an incredible immense talent. - Thank you very much. - And I love your work. - Oh, that's very sweet of you. And I'm so happy that you wanted to, let's drink after that. - Yeah. - But I was so happy that you wanted to come on because you're like a huge part of our family's experience in movies. I have two teenage boys. They are huge fans of your work and as am I and I think the way you approach your work and the way you approach who you work with and how you work is really very, very special. - Thank you. - And then compliments done. - Done. - Yeah. - Now criticism. - Yes. - So you grew up in self-reflection. - Five percent. - He's short as fuck. Thank you, Amy. - Well, you know I'm a shorty, so I never even know how tall anybody is. I think everybody is tall. You're a Southwest London boy. - Yes. - And growing up with two artists parents, comedian dad. - Yeah, my dad is a stand up. Yeah, my mom is a photographer. - Okay. - What is your house like? What are you guys laughing at? Because I'm kind of obsessed with the fact that UK and US, there are big things that we love that we don't know about each other's comedy. - Right. It's interesting. I mean, my dad obviously being a stand up. What was so interesting as a kid is that I always thought he was just unemployed because he was always around. - Oh, well, there. - Like he would put us to bed. - Yeah. - He would go off and do his job. He was either a comedian or Batman. Like I had no idea what my dad did at night. - Yeah. - So it was just a lot of fun. And my dad was always really keen for us to all contribute to the family dinner as much as each other. You know, there's telling stories, how was your day at school? Like good was never a good enough answer. It was always like, well, tell me why your day was good or tell me why your day was bad. And 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, what I ended up doing. The tough thing about having a comedian as a parent, as I'm sure your kids will know, is that no one that you bring to the house is safe. - Yes. - Like any of my mates that come over when we were kids, my dad would just rinse them. And it was like, it was almost like he was using dinner as like a warm up to go out and do a show that night. - Oh, this is going to, this is going to hit home. - So it was always a, we had an amazing childhood and my parents are such wonderful people. I really admire both of them, you know. My mom in the way that she continued working, but was also like the most hands on mom. And then my dad the same. My dad was, like I said, he would only work when we were asleep. - Yeah. - So he was always there. It took us to school. He would take us out after school. - There's four boys in your family. - There's four of us, yeah. - You're the oldest. - I'm the oldest, probably not the most intelligent of the four of us. My brother Harry is pretty. - Okay. - Sharp. - Harry Sharp, is there any of the four that are introverted? - I think Paddy is slightly introverted. Yeah. Paddy is the youngest. He's a really talented painter. - Yeah. - So he's really kind of got into this world of like sitting up in his bedroom and he's like, what's Paddy doing? And then he comes downstairs with his canvas and it's amazing. He actually worked on Spider-Man 4 in the art department. - Oh, that's cool. - I'm curious about birth order because I'm the oldest as well. And being the oldest is like, there is a responsibility. - Yes. - It is. - Just an example. - One of your brothers worked on, like was your assistant during one of the films? - Yeah, Harry was my assistant for a long time, which was actually great. You know, when I hired him, I was a little nervous about. - Yeah. - I was asking my brother for a coffee and him being like, fuck off. - You're a young girl brother. - What are you doing? - I'm getting you a coffee. - He came around. - Yeah, he came around. He was great. He was super professional and him and I now are running a production company together. - Oh, that's great. - And trying to sort of revitalise that mid-budget movie and, and, you know, really try and put those movies back on the map. What is it like to be in a house with four boys, wild? - I mean, that's more a question from my poor mum. I think when Paddy came along, there is a video somewhere of his birth video and he comes out and his balls are so red. And I think you can hear my dad go, oh, for God's sake. - Also, I mean, your mum probably would, would deny this to the, you know, to the day she dies. But when you're having a fourth child and you've had three boys, maybe you're like, maybe this one would be a girl. - Yeah. I think that was the intention. And listen, I want to just say that I love my brother Paddy's absolute death. The best. - He can take it. - He can take it. He can take it. And bless him. As the youngest, he is the butt of every joke. I remember once we had this huge argument when we were kids, huge argument and we were outside and sometimes our parents will like go outside and you figure it out. Yeah. you. Don't fight, but just get it off your chest. And then like a week later, I said to my dad, I'd like really got into air rifles for some reason. I was like, that's a really cool one. And air rifle. And he was like, did you see that argument you had the other day? I was like, no, you can't have an air rifle. Yeah. But yeah, our house was carnage, pure carnage, but like like broken things like broken, like there is a feeling when you have a lot of boys where you have to just kind of say goodbye to nice things. I think so. Yeah. What I have come to realize though, now that I have gotten older and moved out and all of my brothers have moved out, that my parents were really keen for us to be tidy. Yeah. But since I've all we've all moved out, we have all realized that we were not the problem. It is my parents that were the problem. They were the ones. They were the ones that were not the ones. Are you still messy? Are you messy? This is a bit of a tough one because I live on two sides of the world. Yes. We live in London and we live here in LA. And in London, I am really keen to keep everything really tidy. When you come to America, you just let it all go. I just I feel like I'm a guest when I'm here. Wow. You know what? We don't appreciate it. I know. I know. I should maybe change my ways a little. The thought of you guys working it out in your house makes me feel like as brothers makes me think about you as a young person because we we've started to get to know you as a young person dancing in on the west end in Billy Elliot and like the way in which you had freedom to move felt like that just came from your house. Right. Right. My parents were always huge fans of dancing and all of us were sent to this kind of Saturday school. It was called nifty feet. It was this kind of really fun little street dance kind of class and we would do these shows every summer at the ballet school down the road and my parents loved it. Like it was such a fun time. And I remember it's so funny how there are conversations that you have in your life that really shape you as a person. And I remember one dance class or something my parents would come and watch every single time. They were always there watching. And I guess maybe I was having a bad day or something and I was marking all the routines and on the way home I thought that I had been really cool in the way that I had marked it. It was like I don't care. I don't need to try that part. And I remember this conversation I had with my dad where he was talking about doing your best and even if you're not feeling your best you need to present as your best. And it's such a it's so interesting how you know that simple little conversation I had in the back of his car has been so important to me as an adult and a professional. And I think about that conversation a lot. It's so interesting you say that because that is like a hard lesson for kids of a certain age to learn that trying is cool. Totally. But it's so vulnerable. Yeah. And to look like you care. Yeah. And it is our instinct to just I didn't as an adult too. There were times in my career where I would be nervous so I would just get kind of like sleepy and ambivalent. Yeah, yeah, yeah, right. You're like I don't really care about this. Like you know I'm just standing for the Cohen brother. Yeah. Just being like yawning in the middle of it. Because I was nervous. And it is a hard lesson to learn. But if that is what is the difference between I think like great performances as people show that they care. Totally. And it's that idea that failing if you try it is better than failing if you didn't try. Yeah for sure. Yeah. Because then you don't feel bad about it. Well, at least I did my best. Just wasn't meant to be. Little Tom Holland dancing could watch it all day. Janet Jackson. Yes. You love. I love Janet Jackson. So so much. Let's talk about Janet for a second. Oh man. She's just electric. She's so talented. And then we grew up. I like Jen X grew up with Janet. Janet was first on TV as a little young actress on good times doing like very heavy material. And then Janet of course, Michael. But Janet, we were like, okay, Michael sister Janet. And then Janet was her own just incredible artist who had huge hits and was an incredible dancer. To be perfectly honest, I really feel like if you ask me to list five people that have been integral in the success of my career, she would be one of them. Have you ever met her? I've never met her. No. But if I didn't show that I had an understanding of like rhythm, my mom would have never got me into dancing. And if I didn't get into dancing, I would never have been spotted to audition for this show. And if I didn't do that show, I wouldn't have gotten agent. And you know, it was never something that I sought out. I never wanted to be an actor. It was never like I sat down with my parents and was like, I have this dream of being famous. So if it hadn't been for that song when I was a kid, I probably wouldn't be sat here today. Which is kind of crazy. Isn't it crazy? I was talking to Billy Eilish was here and we were talking about how she was like, you know, getting ready to compete in all of her dancing competitions. And then like got hurt and then her song became, but I do feel like I have a strong love and passion for dancing. I feel like dancing is first of all, it feels like magic when people can do it well. It feels like something spiritual. But also I love it just personally because it's very good for my nervous system. Yeah. Like it is this thing where if you can shake it out and move, you can calm yourself. Totally. Whatever it is this really primal thing that I think opens the door to all different types of creativity. Totally agree. So what is your relationship to dancing right now? How often do you dance? Where do you dance? It comes at a very interesting time because last week I did my first dance rehearsal for the Fred Astaire movie. Oh my. Next year. I it's funny like I don't find myself getting that nervous anymore for things, you know, because you do it so often and it becomes second nature and it feels like another day at the office. But I went to Pineapple Dance Studios, which is where I trained as a kid when we were doing Billy Elliot. I was with the director of the movie and the choreographer of the movie. Wow. And I was petrified because I'd been telling this guy this director Paul King. I said, don't worry bro, like I can dance. Babe, I'm not one of those actors. Yeah, like I'm a dancer dancer. Yeah, I was on the west end, okay? Right. And we get there and it's a, you know, a bare room with a hardwood floor. I've got tap shoes on. First time I've worn tap shoes in 15 years. Wow. And immediately I'm like, wow, my feet feel like shit. Yeah, these hurt. Yeah. And then he kind of was a little bit like, okay, okay, do you show me what you got? And I went over to the computer and I googled the Billy Elliot music and was like, I'm either going to do something amazing here. I'm really going to shoot myself in the first. Yeah. And I played the song and what was so amazing is how it really does live in you, you know, like the music started and then it all started coming back and 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. Now, if I did the dance like I did last week in front of my Billy Elliot choreographers when I was a kid, they probably would have buried me. Yeah. Because it was horrendous. They have a lot of help. They would make really upset. But it was really, it was really exciting. And I've been very nervous about the idea of making that film just because, you know, it's going to be a huge undertaking from a prep point of view and it's also a big risk, I think, you know, it's a big reason for it. I'm really excited. But after that rehearsal, any fears I had or any questions of like, should I be making this movie completely left the room? Because I think my biggest regret in my career so far is that when I finished that show, I quit dancing. Yeah. And I just, you know, we're dancing a club or something like that. But wouldn't go and take class. Yeah. And the thing I love most about my job is that you can book a film and learn all of these amazing skills from the best people in the business. And to be able to do that again, pick up dancing from square one and try to get back into it, I think it's going to be so fulfilling. It's so cool. I mean, like you, you, you were on the West end at How Old, How Old were you when you were in Villaliant? I started when I was 11. Wow. And I finished when I was 13. It was a riot. I mean, I've said this to many people who do, um, theater and are, you know, on a, in a long run, like to have the hardest part of your day be at the end of your day is really hard. You know, you're just always prepping for the end of your day. Yeah. Totally. Was do you feel like in many ways that was the hardest you ever worked was doing that show? Or because you were young, like, well, when you go back to that time, what do you feel like your energy? Did you just have unlimited energy at 11, 12 and 13? Yeah. I think so. Really. You know, it was tough. But yeah, no, I think there was also, there was four of us. There were four billies at any one time. Yeah. And you would share the role. So you would do Monday night, someone would do Tuesday night. Right. You would do standby. So you would be backstage in case of Billy got injured and you would have to rush on. I remember one night I had the night off. I was playing golf with my dad. And we got a phone call saying, Oh, all these come off the show. Brad's going on. Can you come in to be on standby? Because it had happened in like the first 20 minutes of the show. And then by the time I got to the theater, Brad had then hurt himself. Oh, I had to go on and someone actually [BLANK_AUDIO] a letter into the theatre and was like, "Wouldn't it be easier and less confusing to just use the same kid rather than constantly changing them out?" But no, I don't know if it's the hardest I've ever worked. I think the Odyssey, the most recent film I did, I mean that was, you know, one of the toughest jobs I've ever had. I cannot wait to talk to you about it. First of all, I can't believe I'm not in the Odyssey because everyone else is. Christopher, tech-a-vill, tech-a-vill. I'm mean, but I cannot. Also, I've heard it's not how hard it is and you do hard things in your movies. Okay. But before we get to those, the two biggest movies of the summer that you are in, I just want to talk about the impossible for a second. Okay. Because for people that haven't seen it, don't watch it. It's too intense. It's so intense and it's so sad. It's so good. It's hard, right? You are incredible. Your performance is incredible. Naomi, you and McGregor, the younger children who play your brothers are incredible. It is for anyone who, the moment when you reunite is like, you know, I know that I'm depressed when that comes up on my TikTok. Like, I know that I'm taking you through your words. Sometimes I can't say, look at my algorithm and I'll be like, Mom, what's going on? And I'll be like, I got to watch the scene again. I started crying, explaining the scene to Jenna this morning. I was like, I'm going to find each other. But Tom, that movie, that movie is what was it? What do you remember about the experience of making that movie as a young person? I think for me, just an acting masterclass from Naomi Watts and just getting to be on set with her every day and watching a professional at the top of her game, deliver, you know, a sort of masterful performance while also taking me under her wing and teaching me everything that I knew it. Know about cinema, really. Was it your first feature that you had done? Yeah, it was my first film. So I had left, believe I did my first audition for the film while I was in the show. I think I had the summer off after I finished the show and then went straight into make that film. So I had no idea what I was doing. And I can imagine as, you know, an actress that was doing a job that she would might describe as the hardest role she's ever played to have to also teach a young kid how to do it. She showed such patience and she was so caring and kind and I would make mistakes because you know what it's like. Where do I go with the camera? Why is there a red sausage on the floor? Like what was that about? She was so sweet and kind and even if we're in emotional scenes, she could just snap right out of it and say, you're blocking me from the standing in front of the camera. I would move. She would get right back into it. So she just was an absolute powerhouse and she had a great work ethic. She was so kind and courseous to the cruise. For me, starting my career in this business, it could not have been a better blueprint for how to behave and how to work. When you talked about in all in Spider-Man in Odyssey and all of the stuff you've done, like you talk about people that you've met who you've learned a lot from, like mentors in some way. I think my favorite thing about being an actor is that you are the only person when the camera calls cut who is allowed to be in the middle of the room and do absolutely nothing. You can be in the middle of that kind of ecosystem and you have nothing to do. You're just waiting for everyone to reset. You have the perfect vantage point to just watch people work and see how they do it and see how they do it differently and see how directors communicate with actors or crew, see how actors take notes. I love listening to a director, give an actor a note and go, I can't wait to see how you interpret that note. Sometimes you're like, wow, I wouldn't have done it like that, but that is actually really interesting. For me, it's less about asking people for advice and it's more just sitting back and watching them work. I think that is the thing is that people are always watching how people behave in the world. Totally. What you say means nothing if it's different than your behavior. You just watch how people behave. Exactly. You know what it's like on a film set. You're there for five months, you're up at four in the morning. You get to see every shade of a person's personality. So seeing someone like Matt Damon, for example, on the Odyssey, I have never seen anyone work as hard as Matt did on that film. And he was as kind and gracious as he was at the beginning of the day, at the end of the day, and on the toughest days. So it was awesome for me to see someone as experienced as himself. Also just be the nicest guy and treat it as if this was his first movie. Yeah, that's awesome. You go from the impossible to Spider-Man and somehow. And you know, you've talked about it a lot, 1500 people audition for that role. Getting that part, it's just like winning a 10 year lottery and it's just changed, completely changed your life. And also it's someone telling you like, hey, the next 10 years if your life are going to be this, like it's heavy and exciting all at the same time. It was a really weird day, the day that I found out that I got the part because it's all I had ever wanted. I remember watching Andrews movies in the cinema. Yeah. And just thinking to myself like, oh, wow, like imagine if I got an opportunity like that to play that character. Interesting. But even then you were like, I could do that. I believe you can do that. I could do it. It was more just this like hunger of I would love to play that role one day. I then spent the next like five years thinking about it, thinking about it. I found out that they were auditioning for it. I got myself in there and I spent about six, seven months auditioning for the film. And all I could think about was getting that job. Yeah. And then the day that I got it and I found out it was like through the roof excitement and then immediate like, oh, but now I have to actually do it. Nightmare Dread. Why did I want this? Like this is a night. Like you're holding the hapotato and you're like, yeah, who can I give this to? Totally. And like what's been crazy is doing this fourth film now, Spider-Man brand new day. I felt very similar to the way I did on my first film, which was excitement for you know, trying to find this sense of confidence that I could do this. Because the third movie was so successful and sharing the screen, Motobian Andrew felt like the perfect send off for all of us. So when I walked on set for the first time, there was a feeling of like, is this the right thing for us to be doing right now? Like, should we be making this movie? And then when Destin came into the fold and start the director, it all of a sudden felt like, oh, this is exactly what we've been missing. And I am so excited for this next chapter of the franchise because it feels different. It feels new and unique. It feels more mature. And you know, I love John Watts, the guy that directed the first three. And I think tonally he did such a good job with making these films feel like the experience of a teenager. Yeah, well, I love what you guys are getting into, which is this idea of if I had to relearn why I love people. Like that thing of if I had to, if I had to like do it all over again, would I choose the people in my life? Like it's a deep, cool metaphor for what it's like to get older, like to grow up, to look at your life. Like it's very cool. And and also like what what is memory? Like what are you supposed to remember? What are we supposed to let go of? Like it's very, very cool territory. Yeah, I think my proudest thing about this new movie is the message. You know, it's a superhero movie at the end of the day. Tom Rossman, the studio ahead kind of describes it as a superhuman movie. Because I think the message is so important for young people in this digital age. It's so easy to sit at home of an evening and just scroll through your phone and just turn your mind to mush and to forget about how important socializing is. My phone is my best friend. So I don't talk about it. Tell me about it. I had like a whole bunch of more. I'm supposed to talk about my phone yesterday. Growing up, did you care about Spider-Man? Because you addressed up as Spider-Man? Yeah, because I have boys who loved Spider-Man too. And it's really fascinating to watch how that character gets into the psyche of girls and boys. Why do you think they love? Why did you as a young kid? I think it's because he's always asking himself that question of who am I? Yeah. Because he doesn't know who he is. It's this young experience of failing or trying to talk to the crush that you have at school and it doesn't go well or being behind on homework. It's just that youthful experience of finding out who you are as a person. Yeah. And what I love about this film is that the whole premise of the movie is that he's neglecting who he is. He is kind of trying his best to suppress his trauma and just focus on being a hero while failing to realize that the person he is makes him the hero that we love. So it's a really nice little balancing act. And I also think if you ask any young kid what their favourite colour is, it's going to be red or blue. And he has both of those. He's got them both. He has both of those. He's got both, babe. Yeah. And he also does that thing. where he shoots from his fingers. And, but it's not this kind of shoot. That is very important distinction. It is because it is a totally different distinction. I'm probably doing it wrong. That's close enough. That's enough. And that for little young people feels like a way to like, like, expel energy. Yeah. And the other thing I'll just say is that of course, because you're a dancer, the way you moved as that character, because Spider-Man moves so. When you, and you've talked about this, which I love, is like you like to get into characters physically first. Yes. That's how you kind of walk around the space with them. Yeah. And I, I just want to, before we move off of the dancing part, I just want to say that I think there's a deeper reason why your viral moment, Dancing to Umbrella, was so successful. I have to bring it up. I'm sorry. I've watched you 5,000 times. I get more compliments for that dance than any piece of work I have ever done. Yeah. I've probably watched it more than most movies. But not only because of the talent, not only because it's just so funny and fun and great, and like you guys are having such a good time together. But it's a person who is dare I say, comfortable with their feminine side. Oh yeah, totally. Well, oh yeah, totally. Yeah. But that's not always the case with men. Sure. In general, and I mean, you've talked about it like being a young boy doing ballet, being like a person who's had to like figure out like what is, what is typically male, what is typically female, like what comes from all that? When you come out confidently in that, in that outfit, and crush it, it was like exploded everybody's ideas of everything in the best way. Now, I'm not so fit like, I know that wasn't your intention, maybe, but I just hope you know that it opened up a lot of feelings for me. I will say that one point in the dress rehearsal, the lady was like, do you think we could cut the shorts a little bit? I was like, no. You're like, okay. I'm doing enough. I'm doing enough for the cause. This is still years ahead of its time. 100%. And that moment, what is your memory of that moment doing it? Because did you feel the time like this is really fun and funny and goofy? Or has the response been confusing to you? Or did you, what's your memory of doing that? I was really excited about it. I was nervous at the prospect of doing a live show and doing the dance and messing up the choreography or something like that. But it's funny, it never really crossed my mind how it would be received. I just thought, oh, what a fine idea. Like, we'll do this kind of singing in the rain thing. And you felt the energy in the room literally deflate. Like I started doing the thing in the suit and there's like, you know, everyone in that audience is like 19 years old. Sure. And everyone's like, what on earth is he doing? Right. And I just knew in my body, I was like, when I take this suit off, you're like, going to go nuts. And I remember like, I had to put lipstick on behind the dancers and stuff. So exciting. And I had to rip the suit off behind them, which I'm always sad I didn't do that on camera. Because it was so fun just having a ripaway suit. They probably were, they wanted to like cover just in case you didn't get it right. Just in case you know that was little did they know they were working with a professional. Exactly. Yeah, a profession. A profession. And that and that dance is a great example of what your dad said in the car, which is like, go for it. Yeah. If you're going to do it, give it a hundred percent. Yes. Yeah. It's such a thrilling performance. Thank you so much. Thank you. Is am I wrong? That's why I'm so excited about this Fred Astaire thing. Because of how kind of scary it is and how much if I don't commit to it a hundred percent, it won't work. And I kind of love the idea of that. There's like a million different ways in which you can put your art out into the world, right? Everybody gets to put it out however they want. But you know, there's just there's there's few representations of men that feel like they're like open to experiences in that way. Am I making any sense? Yeah, I know. So, yeah. Okay, so save us. Yeah, I will do my best. Tom, please. But I want to ask you one question. Don't or I want to ask a favor of you. Don't do anymore stunts. Yeah. Dude. Oh my words. No more stunts. I know. That would. In movies, period. Yeah. But I do feel like stunts are there. Well, I mean, you just have to be what? When you're doing a stunt, what do you do with your body? Like what's it? What are some tricks? Just let it happen. Like just grip it and rip it, you know? Like more often than not, you're on a wire and you're there's another guy on the end with a button. And you always want to make sure you say hello to him and keep him sweet. Yeah. Because you don't want him to dial it up and just fire you off into oblivion. But truth be told, I have an amazing team of stunt performers that I work with. And, you know, the luxury of the Spider-Man sue is that when one of us is in it, we're very interchangeable. And as it is a character that requires and like a really elite level of physicality. Yeah. Those guys are, you know, exerced to salay performers, ex-British gymnasts, you know, world champions and stuff like that. So as the movies have gone on, my appetite to do everything has definitely dwindled. Because they do a better job. Like I can do a backflip, but Luke can do a double backflip. Yeah. So it's like if you want it to be really special, sometimes you have to take your ego out of the room and just let them handle the tough stuff. And you had to protect the money maker. Exactly. You got to protect the money maker. Exactly. I mean, come on, babe, we can't, we can't mess with that face. No, but I do love it. And it is fun. The rush is really great. When you do something that is really scary and it goes really well, it is a great feeling. Yeah, I bet. And it does feel like the closest to being an athlete. Yeah, totally. Yeah, absolutely. And the team's like, you did it. Yeah, well done. Let's go. Yeah, exactly. Because sometimes acting doesn't feel that way. Yeah, especially on sex. Because there's, you know, whenever the crew give you a round of applause, it feels so like they're just like, we want to go home. But it's like get on with it. We did it. Yeah, well done. You did some acting. But yeah, if you do a stunt, you do feel like pretty badass. Totally. Um, uh, the last thing I'll say was Spider-Man is Jacob. Your relationship with Jacob is really, really cool. Yeah, he's nice. He and I mean, I love that you guys are, you know, real friends in real life and Matt at a young age. Yeah. And kind of grew up together doing the films together. And also it just like shows, like net and Peter's relationship, I think is an example of like great male friendship. And um, we spoke to him before this podcast. Oh, no way. Oh, no. Yes. We got, um, we spoke. Um, we, we, he talked a little bit about you. And also he gave us a question to ask. And he was a total delight. He flashed his, um, his Rolex. Oh, really? He showed you nice, nice. But um, he wanted me to ask you a question. He wants me and you do, it, it, feel free to pass if you want, because I don't know what this is about. So I don't know. Um, he wants me to ask you about the boiling rock part one. Oh, wow. The boiling rock. This is worth talking about. You can tell us off the air. I think I should probably tell you off the air. I knew it. I knew it. But now it's going to sound like we're smoking crack or something. No, it's such a typical boy thing. I was like, give me a question. You want to talk about it? He was like, the boiling rock part one. I was like, he's not going to want to talk. Oh, man. Yeah. No, we'll chat about that. Okay, we'll talk about that later. But tell me what you love about Jacob. I just love his. Oh, man, I'm taking that Rolex back. I just love his, I love who he is as a person. Yeah. I love his soul. I love his, his energy. I love his, his enthusiasm. He, you know, what's been so amazing for the two of us is that our lives changed on the same day together. Yeah. And we've been through this whole journey together. And I've loved every minute of it. All of John's movies, making those and now working with Destin and sharing that with someone that has been there since the beginning is really special. Yeah. He's also just one of my best mates. Like, if I haven't seen him for six months, when I link up with him, it's as if no time has passed. Yeah. And he's an amazing actor and I think that no one could play Ned the way that Jacob does. I think that he is the only person that could get those kinds of laughs. And especially in this movie, I think he's really dialed up the humor in an excellent way. Mm-hmm. And I just, I just love him. I mean, he feels like he feels like he's like that character is like a a stand-in for the fan. And last, you know, like the audience. And I think that was John Watts' kind of goal. Was to create a movie that felt like all of us were experiencing what it's like to be Spider-Man. But me and him, we just did an escape room together. And everyone's just like, "Clam the wall." Yeah. We were in LA and I text him and I was like, "Are you here?" And he said, "Yes." And I was like, "I booked this escape room, bro, if you want to come." We went, one of the producers from the movie came and him and I were useless. - We're useless, but we're both leaders, which is a recipe for disaster. - That's right. - So there was a lot of like, Jacob, let me do it. Let me do it. - Yeah. - What are we doing here? - And then the time is ticking down. - Yeah, yeah. It was no good. But I love him to death. And I really, he will be a friend for life and he is such a wonderful person. And I couldn't be more grateful to have done this with him. - Yeah, well he says the same about you. And the other big gigantic movie coming out this summer that you're gonna start talking about and probably be doing press now for the next 5,000 years is The Odyssey. - Yeah. - Which it looks incredible. I, who do you play in it? - I play telemacus. - Okay. - When I first sat down with Chris, I said I'm so excited to play telemacus. - Yeah. - I'm heavily dyslexic. Which is one of the reasons why and I'd love to talk to you today about it. - Yeah. - Actually, is why I've never done SNL. - Because of the cue card. - I'm just so petrified at the concept of like trying to read something and they change. - Oh, this is interesting. - Well, I'm sure they have had many dyslexics host. - Totally. It's just that like for me, I can read fine. - Yeah. - But when I have to read out loud, it just becomes like a kind of, it's like a mental block and I can freeze. So for me, my worst day at work is the read through. Like at the read through, I will really try and highlight everything and learn my lines ahead of time. - Yes. - So that I'm more kind of skimming it than I am reading. - You're kind of remembering it visually, but you know it. - Yeah, so I've been, you know, I've been really lucky that they've asked me a few times to do it. And the truth is is that I'm actually just really scared at the prospect of, I love the show and I love the idea of having fun and making a fool of yourself in such a fun creative way. It's just that thing of the cue cards. - You have to remember there have been people that have hosted that have been fully on drugs. - Yeah, that is true. - That is true. - I think you can do it. (laughing) - As you all this. (laughing) - Tell you how you can tell. - Tell me the boiling rock, I'll tell you those things. (laughing) But it is, but that's so, I love you talking about that time because it is true. Like the way we learn how everybody learns is very different. And of course, then what that does is it makes you like be a physical tactile person. - Right. - That's, of course, that's how you become, that's how you express yourself. - Yeah. - So, okay, this is interesting to me because to me, like a nightmare would be it being in a Christopher Nolan movie and like not knowing my lines or like that's a nightmare. - That would be bad. (laughing) - Okay, so your character is, how would you explain your character? - My character is a young man who is kind of feeling this incredible sense of protection towards his mum. She's under an immense amount of pressure from these very vulgar men who all want to marry her and become the king of Ithaca. And Odysseus, my dad, he is the king of Ithaca, but no one knows whether he is alive or not. - Who's playing Odysseus? - That is Matt Damon. - Ah. - And the story is about a dad trying to come home and a young boy trying to find his dad. And there is obviously a wonderful scene when that kind of story comes full circle. And for me, it was a dream come true job, working with Chris. - What's it like working with him? - Just a dream, an absolute dream. He is so fun to work for. - Fun. - Working for Chris is just a delight. I absolutely loved working for him. I admire him beyond belief. His crew is without a doubt the best that I have ever worked with. - Is it a quiet place? Like I picture everyone in suits being very good at their job. - I would say it's a very focused place. - It's definitely fun. - Yeah. - You know, like I laughed a lot when I was there. And we had a really good time. - Yeah. - But it's definitely we are there to do a job. We are there to try and, you know, create something that has never been done before. We were filming everything on IMAX. - What is, I've heard this now, but what does that mean for you? How does it make a different for you to film on IMAX? - The camera is like as big as this table. - I see, okay, so the camera is huge. - Yeah, it's humongous. And they had this thing that Hoiter had designed the cinematographer, which we call the blimp. - Uh-huh. - And it was essentially, remember those old boxes the stills photographers would have? - Yeah. - That would dampen out the sound. It's essentially that, but for the camera. - Whoa. - So when they put the camera in there, you can't hear anything. But if they're having it handheld, it goes like, (imitates sound) it's like super loud. - Whoa. - So if you're doing scenes like that, it is really difficult to focus. And I struggle focusing sometimes. And I remember, again, like talking about lessons and watching actors work. I remember a scene between Matt and Anne Hathaway. It's about a nine minute scene. And the camera can only run for three minutes at a time because it runs out of film. - Wow. - So they would run it, they would take it out the blimp, reload it, put it back in, and then the two actors would just carry on from where they left off. And this is like the most emotional scene in the movie. It is like, it's so fantastic. And to see both of them, 'cause obviously they shot, I think they shot Matt's side first and then they shot Anne's side. So that took almost an entire afternoon. And to see them stay in character and stay in that emotion and never waver and never come out of it. And they would call cut, they would reload the camera. And Anne just stayed there in the moment for three minutes maybe before the camera would roll again. - Wow. - It was just a masterclass in patience, professionalism and like confidence in themselves. - Yeah. - It was awesome. And I think Chris really gives you a lot of confidence. - Yeah. - Like there's something about doing a take and him coming up to you and giving you a pat on the back and sort of saying, great, let's move on. - Oh, that must feel great. - That must feel great. - Whoa, like a nail back. - Yeah, me. - He's so incredible. His work is so incredible. And you're right, when you work with people who are in like that elevated space, like really in the top of their game, you just, like a rising tide rises, all raises, all, both like two, I can't remember. - That's my favorite saying. (laughing) That's my favorite saying. - Also I wanna say that you get to work again with your partner in life, Zendaya, who is an incredible actress. - She really is. - What do you learn from her as an actress? - As an artist, what are you working with her? You work with her in Spider-Man, you work with her in this, you work with her in life. What have you learned from her? - I think what I love about watching her work as an actress is she's just fearless. - Yeah. - She's just like absolutely tentos down. Like I'm gonna give this everything. And I think when you watch her as Roo in that show, she could not be more different to who she is in real life. And then if you see her as Emma in the drama, it's just such a different performance, but with no less intent or passion or drive. - Yeah. - And I think she's the best actor of going. I really think she has something special. - Whenever you're in a relationship where you're just doing the same thing. - Right. - That can be super helpful because you understand what the other person is going through. You understand. - Absolutely. - It's a wild world being in this industry. And there are ups and downs and you go from shooting a movie which is when we're all at our most comfortable and then you do a press tour which feels like you're kind of standing out on the stage. - Yeah. - And it's so nice to have someone that understands that in such a personal way. So that you can talk each other down or you can big each other up and it's a lifeline. It really is. I couldn't imagine doing what I do without her. - Please don't ever. We love you two together. And also, I know it's, we don't know you. - We're projecting. - But, and I don't know, Zendaya, but I am such a huge fan of her work. And what I feel like she and you both prove is like the more talented you are, the easier you are to work with. Like you guys come into, I've heard just the most amazing things about her and how she works. And you guys just deliver this version of how to work that is really, really amazing. And I can see why you respect that in each other. - Yeah. We had an amazing moment on Spider-Man brand new day and it's only because of our relationship that this happened. Well, we were shooting this scene and we'd shot my coverage. We then turned around on Zendaya. We're doing her coverage. And I would never, ever dream of saying this to an actress that I wasn't with. - Right. - And I said to her, I said, "Do you think that this scene is working?" - Yeah. - And she was like, no, I don't think this scene is working at all. So I then went to the producers and asked, like, do you think this scene is working? And they said no. And I was like, yeah, me and Z, are like really not feeling it. I then went and sat down with Destin and said, "Hey, man, listen, I know we've been shooting for hours "and I hate to tell you this, "but I just, I don't think that this scene is working." Z and I, like what we're supposed to feel, we're not feeling it in the moment. And what I love about Destin is he's so calm. There's nothing that could throw him off. And he just kind of, he listened and he sat down and he was like, well, what is it that you're trying to feel? And I told him and he went, yeah, you're right. That's exactly what we need to be feeling. So he just, he said to the crew, everyone go home. - Incredible. - We're gonna sit down and we're gonna rewrite this scene with the writer, Justin, who was such a talent. And, We came in the next day, we've reshot the scene, and I'm so glad that we did, because it sings in the movie. - Yeah. - It really does. But it's just, it was just so funny. Like I was thinking about like, if this wasn't Zendaya that I was sitting across from, I imagine on someone else's coverage, being like, "Do you think this is working?" - Well, I have done that. (laughing) And now you're to say it does not go well. - No, it does not. - Yeah, because it's like, "Is this good?" - Are you gonna do it like that? - I go, "Are we doing a good job?" And they're like, "Are you talking to me?" (laughing) - This is my best work. - And I know this is my best work. - Nope, I'm talking to myself. - Yeah. - Yes, you're so right. I mean, there's an intimacy that matters when you're doing work like that, and also, you know, in the reverse, when you're working with someone, you know very well. Sometimes you forget like, oh, we have to kind of just show up and be scene partners here, and we have to not like cross those boundaries. - Yeah, totally. - But yeah, I mean, it's exactly what I'm talking about, is like, I feel like you guys are always striving and challenging each other and challenging, you know, and being partners and in life and in work, it's really, really cool to see. - Thank you. - I do want to, the one thing about the Odyssey is, and in Spider-Man, you have to do an American accent. - Yes. - Which actually weirdly feels more comfortable for me as an actor. It just feels like there's an immediate degree of separation from who I am as a person. And, you know, doing different American accents is difficult, you know. On the Odyssey, I think there was a few times where I went full like New York Queens, like Odysseus, your home, how are you? You know, I'm excited. - Yeah, this is. - What the fuck? - How are we waiting for you? (laughing) - So I think that. - Are there words that help you get into an American accent? - Ironically, the words that I struggle to say the most is Spider-Man. - Oh. - It's so weird. - You know what, while you drink, I'll share that my Boston accent, my East Coast Boston accent, when I was playing Leslie, you know, the one word that I had a hard time saying was, I still have hard time saying, is government? - Government. - Which I had to say so much. - Yeah, I can imagine that. - And playing a government employee. But there's something about the word, govern, government, 'cause we would say government. Like, government. We'd say government in Boston. - Yeah, like you get rid of the R. - Okay. - I have to deal with a government. - But. - And. - Government. - Government. - 'Cause also there's an N in there that isn't - It's a weird government. - It's a weird government. - Government, yeah. So, because you'd wanna say Spider-Man? - No, because I would wanna say Spider-Man is what, for some reason, just sounded so much more. - Yeah. - I'm like, that's kind of New York, isn't it? And he's like, no, that is the deep South. But I. - No, you're like, y'all, I'm Spider-Man. - Yeah. - Hey, y'all. Yeah, I don't know. I just, I for some reason. - You're very good at it. - I really found Spider-Man a difficult word to say. For some reason. - Isn't it funny? I mean, I'm sure a lot of people don't know that you're British. - I do still get that, actually. I'm not getting recognized on the street. And people are like, what is going on with your accent, dude? - And the, you know, the Brits are not always the best at American accents. - That is true. - The Irish are a little better. - The Australians are the best. - You think so? - I do. Like Naomi speaking, fantastic. - It's fantastic. - There's a lot of very good, like Australians like crush it. I think the Brits tend to be the worst. - That is an interesting observation. - Sorry to say. Now, I'm just gonna say I cannot do British accent, so I would never even try. - A British accent is tough. There's so many of them. - There's just too many of them. - I know. - And you have to commit to one. - You do. - And it's hard. Sunday has become amazing. Not British accents. It's actually kind of crazy. - It's crazy. But yeah, I think, and also, it's very difficult to do a British accent and not make it become a caricature. - Totally. - Talk accent. - Yeah. I mean, I think conversely, like with Brits, when they do American accents, the one thing that they do is they kind of always turn into this kind of talking. - Right. - Like it's just very, 'cause they wanna make sure that they're rounding out their conscience. - There's lots of long hours. - Yeah. - One of the things I find really difficult is a lot of Americans, New Yorkers, especially, when they're ordering food, it's very different to how we order food. In England, it says, "Please may I have the burger with number two. Thank you so much, please. That would be thank you, thank you, thank you." And in America, it's totally fine to be like, "I'll have the number two." - Yeah. - And just leave it at that. - Especially in East Coast. - Totally. - Yeah. - And I would be doing scenes and my dialect coach would come in and be like, "Stop saying please." - Ooh. - Like, a kid from New York's, and I'm gonna say, please, if you ask me for a burger. So I, you can see it, there's a moment in this movie where someone asked me for a coffee and I just go, "Sure." And even through the suit, you can see, like, my dad is gonna be so disappointed in me. (laughing) - I mean, in New York, it's gotten to the point where it's like, "Let me get." - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - I mean, but that is so, I mean, I'm still shocked when people get, I'm like, "Let me get a egg and cheese." It's like, "Let me get." (laughing) - My dad always says to me, he goes, "No, son, you can't go and get it. They'll bring it to you, but you can't go and get it. You can have it." - Let me get. - But you can't go and get it. They'll stop you getting it. (laughing) - It's so true. I mean, I, I, the other last thing I'll say is that it took me a long time to realize that quite meant something different for Americans than it did for Brits. So, quite for you means pretty good. So like, "Yeah." - That's not good. That means it was pretty good. But we don't understand that as Americans. We used quite as like, it was very good. So like, it was quite good. Like, we say like, it was quite a show. - I was. - You know? So for a long time, Brits would be telling me that they kind of didn't like things that much. And I'd be like, "They like it." (laughing) He said it was quite good. (laughing) And I don't think enough Brits know this. - Wow. - That we don't always understand that quite means pretty good. - It's fine. - But we are like, he loved it. - Which is also very American. We've talked about your films before we go. I just wanna talk about your beer. - Oh yes. - Your non-alcoholic beer. - Yes. - Beer row. - Beer row. - Your brand. Congratulations on it. - Thank you so much. - We've been drinking it from these cups the entire time. - Delicious. - And why did you start a brand? - And why non-alcoholic? - So I quit drinking. - Yeah. - Because I had a problem. - Yeah. - And I just couldn't put it down. And it was affecting my professional life. It was affecting my personal life and my health. - Mm-hmm. - So I decided to pack it in. And I got through that first year, which I think was the toughest challenge that I've ever been on. And during that first year, I noticed that there was limited options for people like me that were looking for something that would scratch that itch that would help you live or go to the bar and be a part of the social experience, but not feel like the only person with a lemonade. - Yeah. - The truth behind the shandys, which we're bringing out this summer, is that Zee has never drank. She's never been a drinker. - She's incredible. - She's the best. She's the best. - She's never drunk. - She's a smaller game. - I know. - So much. And which means she never found the taste for beer. - Yeah. - And everyone remembers their first beer. It's a little bit like, ooh, that kind of. - Yeah, it is. - It's like, why does my dad drink this all the time? - And then you get drunk and you're like, oh, okay, let's go. - I'm not here, but I'm here. - Right. So she's just, she's incredibly proud of beer, it's just there is a missing link of like, she doesn't enjoy the stuff that I'm trying to sell. (laughing) So my mom actually came up with the idea and she said, you know, what if you did a shandy, which is essentially half a beer and then half a lemonade? Ooh. And we have a grapefruit flavor, there's lemon lime, there's blackberry, youzu, there's elderflower. And it was a ploy to create something at the company that she could enjoy. - Yeah. So when this comes out, you will have turned 30. What is something you're looking forward to about? Turning 30. What's exciting about it? - I am. I'm incredibly proud of my 20s. Like 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. So I'm kind of sad to say goodbye to my 20s. - Nice. - But equally excited to walk into my 30s. I think as a kid growing up in this industry, I've always just been a kid at work. - Yeah. - You know, and I'm really excited to sort of, and I think that's probably an internal thing. Not that people treat me like a kid. As just I've always felt like, "Oh, I'm just kind of the young one here." - Yeah. - And I'm really excited to be, you know, a young man on set and experience what that's like. And I have some really exciting projects in the pipeline. And yeah, I'm excited. - That's awesome. I mean, I feel like just much like Spider-Man. Like there's so much ahead for you, but there is a, it feels like from a very young age you've had a very strong sense of yourself. That is kind of like something that you just kind of have. It's a thing often you're born with. And I think people feel it from you. I know I'm count myself as one of the many people can't wait to see whatever you're doing next. It's really awesome. And so we always finish our interviews by asking our guests, like, you know, in these, in these like often, complicated and troubled times what they're doing to laugh. Right. Who makes them laugh? You come from a funny family. Yep. What are you watching, listening to, reading? What video do you watch over and over again? What is your comfort movie? What is your comedy go to that Tom, that makes Tom laugh? And then I want to show you a TikTok dance and see if you can teach me. But don't worry not now. I know that we're friends and we're gonna hang out. My favorite night out is to go to the comedy club. Ooh. I love all stand up. I think it is the bravest form of art in our world because it's like, I remember being backstage with my dad. I've always been so impressed by my dad. Like he is like my hero because he never brought the bad gigs home. He's zero, d'I-C-E. He never brought bad gigs home. He's always been someone that's incredibly positive. He's super ambitious. He's really tenacious. And I remember one night he took me to the comedy store and we went together to watch and we went backstage and we saw all the comics kind of getting ready for their set. And I was so impressed by 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 say and someone dresses me. And I'm considered an artist. But so much of that work is done for me. But then backstage you see them taking their anorac off, putting their pack lunch on the side. They go out, they nail it, they come in and they head off to the next club. And I know some of them have writers and all that sort of stuff. But 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. That's cool. That's very cool. Tom Holland, thank you so much for being here. Yeah, my pleasure. It really means a lot. We were very, very excited to have someone of your caliber sitting across the bus. And congratulations on the two most gigantic movies ever coming. And thank you for all the work that you do. And thanks for being so great and a pleasure to meet you. Thank you. Thanks, Amy. I appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thanks, guys. It's been so fun. Yay! [APPLAUSE] Tom Holland, what a delight. Love talking to you. Thank you so much for coming. And can't wait to see what you're in the summer. And what you're in ever, forever for the rest of your life, such a fan. And for this polar plunge, I just wanted-- you know, we talked a little bit about dancing. And we talked about Janet Jackson. And there is a choreographer on TikTok named Charlie Wakey, who has started a trend where he created a dance to like a smooth criminal mashup, a Michael Jackson song. And I just love that side of dancing online where somebody starts a trend. And then other people kind of take it on and do their version of it. And I've been watching it a lot. So check him out. Check out all the original choreographers and dancers online who are making great stuff. And keep dancing, babe. Keep dancing. OK. Thanks. See you soon, bye. [APPLAUSE] You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weissberman, and me, Amy Poler. The show is produced by The Ringer and PaperKite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spalane, Kaya McMullen, and Alayezaneras. For PaperKite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weissberman. Original music by Amy Miles. [MUSIC PLAYING]

Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. Tom Holland is a major movie star, appearing in *The Odyssey* and *Spider-Man
  2. The episode begins with a call to Jacob Batalon (Ned in Spider-Man), Tom’s close friend and co-star.
  3. Jacob and Tom met during screen tests in 2016 and have grown up together on set, building a genuine friendship.
  4. Jacob praises Tom for being supportive, humble, and a great role model, noting he bought him a Rolex.
  5. Tom discusses his childhood as the oldest of four boys, with a comedian father who roasted his friends and a photographer mother.
  6. Tom’s brother Harry worked as his assistant, and they now run a production company together.
  7. Tom reflects on the chaos of growing up with three brothers and his parents’ emphasis on tidiness.

Summary:

In this episode of *Good Hang*, host Amy interviews Tom Holland, star of *The Odyssey* and *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*. Before Tom joins, she speaks with Jacob Batalon, Tom’s co-star and real-life friend. Jacob shares how they met during screen tests in 2016 and have grown up together on set, emphasizing Tom’s kindness, support, and role as a mentor.

Jacob reveals Tom bought him a Rolex, highlighting their deep bond. When Tom appears, he discusses his upbringing as the oldest of four boys in Southwest London, with a comedian father who used family dinners as warm-ups for shows and a photographer mother. He notes his dad would roast any friends who came over.

Tom talks about his brother Harry working as his assistant and their current production company aimed at reviving mid-budget films. He also describes the chaos of a house full of boys, with broken items and constant arguments, and reflects on how moving out taught him his parents were the messy ones, not his siblings. The conversation touches on birth order, family dynamics, and the importance of close friendships, with Tom embracing the responsibility of being a positive male role model.

FAQs

Tom grew up in Southwest London with two artist parents: his dad is a comedian and his mom is a photographer. He is the oldest of four boys.

His dad encouraged storytelling at dinner and often roasted his friends, using family meals as a warm-up for his shows. This helped Tom become social and contributed to his career.

Jacob said they grew up together on set, have seen each other grow up, and that Tom has always been supportive, welcoming, and a great role model.

They did a screen test together for Spider-Man in 2016, and their chemistry was immediately apparent. Jacob found Tom easygoing and the experience light.

It is an inside joke between Jacob and Tom that Jacob suggested asking Tom about to make him smile.

Yes, Tom does many of his own stunts, which Jacob described as insane and physically demanding, noting Tom needs more recovery time now that he's older.

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