Tom Holland talks The Odyssey, Spider-Man and bad haircuts in new podcast

Currently embarking on dual international press tours for Chris Nolan’s The Odyssey and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, superstar Tom Holland has joined chef Angela Hartnett OBE and presenter Nick Grimshaw for a special two-part episode of the award-winning Dish from Waitrose podcast.

“It’s felt really like a bit of a victory lap, to be honest,” he says of the tour. “I’ve really enjoyed it. You know, I’m super proud of both of the films.” 

In the first episode of the podcast, which is known for bringing together great food and candid conversation, Tom discusses bad haircuts, Lionel Messi, red carpet anxiety and filming in IMAX, while opening up about Anne Hathaway’s hosting skills and Zendaya’s food knowledge.

“[Zendaya] is really into her food and trying food,” Tom says of his co-star and partner, whom he met filming the first Spider-Man. “She’s very adventurous. She likes to go to new restaurants. She’ll find a place and she’ll love it and she’ll go there all the time but she’s really good at trying new places.” THE ODYSSEY: FILMING AN EPIC

Tom, who plays Telemachus – son of Matt Damon’s Odysseus and Anne Hathaway’s Penelope – in the epic adaptation of The Odyssey, says that the opportunity to work with acclaimed director Chris Nolan was an instant “yes”.

“I was really intimidated to meet him but he’s a very disarming person. Like, he’s really kind, he’s really, you know, personable – and he was really open about the ambition of what he wanted to try and do,” says Tom. “And I love film, I love making movies, I love watching movies, and I was just excited as a fan of cinema to hear what he was planning on doing. And then to get the chance to be in it was just- you know, I’m still to this day kind of pinching myself.”

The Odyssey was shot exclusively on 70mm IMAX cameras, adding a layer of technical experimentation to the already ambitious project. But Tom says that it was Chris’s innate skill as a storyteller that made the adaptation work. 

“[I] was absolutely floored by his ability to adapt something that’s so massive. I think he’s so celebrated as a director, he’s often overlooked as a writer,” says Tom. “That is the thing that I found most impressive is that neither side of the coin felt like they were sacrificed. So, you’ve got this humongous epic, probably the biggest movie that has ever been made but then also this really intricate, intimate love story[…] In most big films, you really have to have one or the other. And [Chris] managed to find a way to make them sort of complement each other.”SPORTING STARS AND SPIDER-MAN STUNTS

Tom also told Nick and Angela about his own celebrity experience meeting Argentina footballer and FIFA World Cup Champion Lionel Messi, who filmed a viral publicity spot for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. 

“We went to go and visit [Lionel Messi] in Miami to watch him play. He was very kind enough to do some Spider-Man promotional stuff with us,” says Tom. “I don’t usually get starstruck around people that do what I do, but athletes, for me. There’s just something about performing on that stage – week in and week out – dealing with that pressure.” 

Tom’s own athletic abilities are apparent in his on-screen stunts, particularly starring as superhero Spider-Man, many of which he performs himself. 

“Sometimes stunts are really routine and it’s something you’ve done 100 times, and sometimes you’re testing yourself and doing something really new,” he explains. “The stunts that I love are the ones where, you know, yourself and the rigger have to be in perfect sync. There’s so many moving pieces that go into making those things make, look realistic.”

Tom credits his co-stars and stunt performers for elevating his own skills, claiming the key to looking great onscreen is precise choreography. 

“I love doing fight scenes. I much prefer doing fight scenes with stunt performers because it’s like dancing, and a great dancer can make a mediocre dance partner look fantastic,” he says. “When you do fight scenes with these like super talented people, they like elevate the entire scene. When you’re doing fight scenes with other actors, that’s when it actually gets more dangerous because, you know, both of you are always going to be slightly different every time you do it, and you might get a little too close when you’re throwing a punch- and it can be quite stressful.”

Dish from Waitrose is available now on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Listen, watch and subscribe HERE.

Images: Dish from Waitrose/Cold Glass Productions

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