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Tom Holland says he wouldn’t do Lip Sync Battle again: ‘You’d never catch me doing that now’

‘For all the movies that I’m incredibly proud of, Lip Sync Battle is what I get the most compliments for,’ said the actor

Annabel Nugent
Thursday 15 June 2023 07:19 BST
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Tom Holland dances to Rihanna's 'Umbrella' on Lip Sync Battle

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Tom Holland has reflected on his iconic 2017 dance to Rihanna’s hit song “Umbrella”.

The British actor, 27, said that he was “proud” of the viral moment but added that fans would “never catch” him doing the same now.

Holland is best known for his role as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In order to promote his 2017 film Spider-Man: Homecoming, Holland appeared on the US TV show Lip Sync Battle, in which celebrities compete to perform the best lip sync of famous songs.

Holland became a viral sensation for his rendition of Rihanna’s 2007 hit song “Umbrella”, which he performed dressed in fishnet tights, a black bob wig, and makeup.

Speaking about the TV moment, Holland told The Hollywood Reporter: “I’m proud of it. I like that it left a lasting impact. It was an amazing time. My life was changing before my eyes.

Spider-Man was coming out. I was on the up. I was getting offers and turning them down for the first time, which was really crazy.”

The actor said, however, that he would not appear on the TV show again.

Gap year: Tom Holland is embarking on a year away from the film industry
Gap year: Tom Holland is embarking on a year away from the film industry (AFP via Getty Images)

“You’d never catch me doing that now. Just because I don’t want to do a f***ing TV show that I don’t need to do. I’d rather go and play golf and live my little private life,” said Holland.

“It is an interesting one,” said the actor. "Because I’ve really worked hard in my career and I’ve really been calculated in deciding what it is I do and when I do it.

“And for all the movies that I’m incredibly proud of, the Lip Sync Battle is what I get the most compliments for.”

'I think it's cool that Tom Holland made a whole Spider-Man movie just to promote his appearance on Lip Sync Battle'
'I think it's cool that Tom Holland made a whole Spider-Man movie just to promote his appearance on Lip Sync Battle'

While the performance has since been hailed as progressive, Holland said that he was not trying to make any statement about masculinity.

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“I don’t give a f***. I’ve grown up in the most non-toxic masculine environment possible. I didn’t realise what I was doing was so forward-thinking,” he explained. “I was just like, ‘Yeah, f*** it, I’ll put some fishnets on and dance in the rain. That’ll be really fun. I don’t care.’”

Holland is currently the star of the Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room.

In it, he plays Danny Sullivan, a man arrested over his involvement in a shooting in New York City in 1979. Amanda Seyfried stars as Rya Goodwin, the unlikely interrogator tasked with questioning him.

You can find all the Apple TV+ releases for June here.

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