Tom Holland has delivered memorable performances across blockbuster franchises, but one of the most talked-about moments of his career didn’t happen in a movie. Nearly a decade later, fans still can’t resist bringing up the actor’s iconic appearance on ‘Lip Sync Battle,’ where he stunned audiences with an unexpected performance that quickly became a pop culture phenomenon.
The routine has amassed millions of views over the years and remains one of the internet’s favorite celebrity performances. While fans continue to celebrate it, Holland has admitted he has a far more complicated relationship with the performance that refuses to fade from public memory.
Tom Holland’s Father Thought It Was A Bad Idea
Holland looked back on the iconic routine during an appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s Scrambled. The actor shared new behind-the-scenes details about the performance that became one of the internet’s most enduring celebrity moments.
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Holland revealed that his father, comedian and author Dominic Holland, wasn’t convinced the performance was the right move. “When I told my dad, he was like, ‘Son, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t think you should do that,'” Holland recalled.
He explained that his father worried the performance might make him famous too quickly. He said that his father preferred he avoid unnecessary TV appearances early in his career. The actor also shared a lighter behind-the-scenes detail.
Despite delivering a wide range of cinematic performances, Holland said he’s still surprised it’s the role fans bring up most. “Honestly, of all the pieces of work I’ve done, that I’ve put my heart and soul into, blood, sweat, and tears, the Lip Sync Battle is the thing that everyone brings up.”
“It’s never Spider-Man, it’s never any of my other movies, it’s always Lip Sync Battle. It haunts me,” he added. The most interesting part? When Tom and Zendaya decided to appear on ‘Lip Sync Battle,’ they didn’t intend their performances to be very explosive.
Holland’s Umbrella Performance Wasn’t Meant To Be Explosive
Back in 2017, Holland and his ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ co-star and now wife Zendaya had agreed not to go overboard during their ‘Lip Sync Battle’ showdown. The plan, however, didn’t last very long once rehearsals got underway.
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“It’s so funny, Zendaya and I, we were chatting at the time about what we were gonna do, and we had agreed that we would take it easy,” Holland recalled. “That was the agreement, that it was like, ‘I’m not gonna do anything crazy, you’re not gonna do anything crazy, we’re just gonna keep it nice and easy breezy.'”
That plan quickly changed as rehearsals continued. Holland said the creative team kept raising the stakes. They eventually pitched the now-famous Rihanna performance complete with a rain machine, quick costume change, and fishnet stockings.
“When I was working with the creative team coming up with the ideas, they kind of pitched this ‘Umbrella’ thing, and as we were rehearsing, it got crazier and crazier,” he said.
“And then the rain machine came in. And then I was like, ‘F— it, I wanna wear fishnets and do this, and I want a wig and a quick-change.'” When Gordon Ramsay asked if the fishnet stockings belonged to his mother, the actor laughed and replied, “They were my granny’s, actually.”
As for his performance, Holland began with ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ in a classic suit. Then, he reappeared in a black wig, fishnet stockings, and a black outfit for Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella.’
The rain-soaked routine, complete with a front flip, instantly became one of the show’s defining moments. Nearly a decade later, the performance remains one of Holland’s most memorable pop culture moments that fan can’t get enough of.
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