It seems everyone is Googling “How tall is Tom Holland?” Well, we have the answer. Coming in at a short 5’85 inches (1,73m), Tom Holland appears to be more the regular Joe than a superhero — but what he lacks in height, he makes up for with his charm. From his charming smile to his bright brown eyes, we love our web-slinging hero!
From a simple announcement on June 23rd, 2015, we’ve witnessed perhaps one of the best portrayals of a comic book hero by a young actor. Tom Holland is now a household name thanks to his iconic portrayal of the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Watching him sink into the role has been a treat, and we are excited to see what the future holds for the British actor.
As fans, we couldn’t wait to share some interesting facts about Tom Holland, who has a surprisingly fun set of quirks we didn’t see coming. So buckle up and check out some interesting facts about Tom Holland.
1. Tom Holland is actually 5 ft 8’
Breaking the archetype of the buff and burly superhero, Tom Holland stands at just 173cm or 5 ft 8 inches tall. Previous Spider-Man actors Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire were 179 cm and 172 cm, respectively. So Tom Holland doesn’t actually deviate from the average height of Spider-Man’s live-action actors. Oddly enough, the character stands at about 178 cm or 5 ft 10’ in the comics. Therefore, we have to give props to the casting directors for being consistent over the 20 years of live-action Spider-Man content.
Tom Holland’s No Way Home co-star, Zendaya, who is usually seen by his side on red carpets, is 179cm (5 ft 10 inches). Together, they prove that height difference doesn’t matter.
2. He has a Spider-Man tattoo
You might already be doubting if this is true because it seems so weird that nobody has seen it. Lucky for us, we’ve got an image of the tattoo, which was revealed as a celebratory ink after landing the role in Sony’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The tattoo is located at the bottom of his right foot, and he showed it off during a press tour of the film. So far, that was the only public view of the tattoo, and in such an obscure location, it’s no wonder it’s not popularly known.
3. He is the oldest of four siblings
While his on-screen persona has him portraying the inexperienced newbie superhero in his actual day-to-day life, Tom Holland has been in the role of a leader rather than a student. Being the oldest of four boys, it means that he has had quite a bit of experience being a leader, so we may get to see him play into that side of his life a bit more as he takes on new roles in the industry, or matures as an experienced Spider-Man.
4. Tom Holland’s first feature film was The Impossible
Prior to his international success, Tom performed in various stage plays at the West End. However, his first Hollywood film was The Impossible. It starred acclaimed actors like Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts and was based on the true story of Maria Belon and her family. Holland played the role of Lucas, who helped his mother stay safe and looked out for his brothers. This might be the only film we’ve seen him step into the responsible sibling role, and he knocked it out of the park.
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5. Tom is an experienced Ballet dancer
The 25-year-old actor was once “obsessed” with Janet Jackson’s songs, and his mother enrolled him in dance classes. Later, during the production of Billy Elliot: The Musical, he learned about ballet and began practising it.
6. He was bullied by his classmates
Tom’s love for ballet may be an endearing trait in a man of many talents, but in the eyes of his classmates at the time, he experienced quite a bit of bullying. According to an interview with People.com, “There were times I was bullied about dancing and stuff. But you couldn’t hit me hard enough to stop me from doing it.” That spirit is certainly what got him to be where he is today, and he isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
7. Tom Holland was once a pot washer at a pub
In Tom Holland’s multifaceted life, you really have no idea what you’re going to find out next. According to an interview with Yahoo! back in 2017, Holland revealed this job he had. He didn’t think it was terrible, but it was certainly a tad bit too underwhelming for the theatrical actor.
8. He auditioned for a role in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
While he is popular for his MCU role, Tom might have been the one portraying FN-2187 alongside Daisy Ridley in the recent Star Wars movies. The talented John Boyega obviously portrayed Finn, but it is still fun to imagine what an ex-Stormtrooper Tom Holland would have looked like.
This audition would have taken place sometime prior to 2015 when the first of the Star Wars sequels was still in pre-production. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for Tom to get his big break after that audition.
9. His ideal superpower isn’t anything close to Spider-Man
While his acrobatic talents and likeable personality measure up to make him a great web-slinger, Tom Holland would actually not take Spiderman’s powers if he could have any ability in the world. Instead, he prefers to have the power of time, according to an interview with LADbible TV. He did indicate that he wasn’t sure if he could be responsible enough to handle that power, so he might just take the ability to control water instead. Smart choice!
10. Tom Holland once voiced an anime character
In 2011, Holland was cast for the British dub of the Studio Ghibli anime film Arriety and he did the voice-over for one of the main characters, Sho. Since then, he has done quite a bit of voice acting work with Onward starring Christ Pratt and Spies in Disguise starring Will Smith.
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11. Tom keeps mementoes from his films
When you’re playing a comic book hero, there is definitely a good chance that your set is filled with cool gadgets and items you’d love to keep forever. While Tom would have loved to keep the Spider-Man suit, that would have been too noticeable. Instead, he helped himself with Spider-Man’s web shooters and a pair of Tony Stark glasses. These glasses were highly relevant in Spider-Man: Far from Home, so this was definitely worth it for the young actor.
Does Tom Holland’s Height & Looks Prevent Him From Getting Better Roles?
There isn’t a word that strikes as much fear into any actor or actress as “typecast.” For some, it could spell the end of their careers: being condemned to an endless loop of playing the same character in every film they do. Others never escape the shadow of their most popular characters – like what happened with almost the entire cast of the original Star Wars trilogy.
However, it’s even worse when actors get typecast because of their looks. Sure, you can somehow escape from the audience’s expectations by starring in projects that take you away from your comfort zone, just as it happened with comedian Bill Murray and drama films – but changing your looks is an entirely different thing.
While not in as dire a situation as someone like Danny DeVito, Tom Holland has seemingly become the de facto name in Hollywood for when a film needs a young, relatively slender character. The Spider-Man star is currently one of the more sought-after celebrities in the biz, and that is true, but his youngish looks might get in the way of an actor who would eventually try to reinvent himself.
As long as the role in question is that of a somewhat young adult or a younger version of an already-established character, Holland absolutely nails the part. That might explain why the recent Uncharted film had to rewrite parts of the video game mythos to insert Holland as a younger version of the globetrotting adventurer Nathan Drake.
Considering Holland’s rising popularity in recent years, his acting oeuvre remains relatively small – most of his acting credits are tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or voice acting roles. Whenever he’s not taking part in these blockbusters or playing the MCU character, his believability as a performer can take a hit.
Let’s take, for example, The Devil All the Time, where he co-stars with Bill Skarsgård and Robert Pattinson – both actors with a distinct younger look, like Holand. Even then, Holland sticks out like a sore thumb as his face almost looks like a kid’s. Just for reference, Skarsgård is only six years older than Holland.
Perhaps the issue is that we’ve seen Holland grow from a child actor into his newfound superstardom too quickly. Just ten years ago, he played a major role in The Impossible. Many child actors never truly shake the impression they left on moviegoers when they were younger. That’s why it was so shocking to see someone like Haley Joel Osment in The Boys, for example.
As far as height goes, Tom Holland still has a fighting chance in Hollywood. He’s about two to three centimetres (0.8 inches) shorter than Tom Cruise, and we all know how great that man has performed in action blockbusters to this day.
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That said, it will undoubtedly be hard for Tom Holland to escape his typecast. The good news is that he’s still very young, and there’s still time for the actor to surprise his fans with a completely new look when he turns 30. Just look at how much Zac Effron has changed over the years.
It’s also worth mentioning that Holand’s most recent role as Danny Sullivan in the Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room might be one of his finest, even if he still can’t quite shake his trademark youthful look.
If the Spider-Man actor has taught us anything, it’s that we rise above every stereotype.