Remember about a month ago when the internet lost its mind because Tom Holland revealed he’d gone and shaved his head?
As I explained back then, it was all for Cherry, the Russos’ new movie, which is currently shooting. It’s an adaptation of the memoir by Nico Walker which is based on Walker’s own experiences of being a war veteran suffering from PTSD who turned to robbing banks. It’s one of those “so weird it can only be true” kind of stories.
Today, Holland officially unveiled his character’s look on Instagram and it’s…kind of terrifying?
Take a look:
Gone is our earnest, baby-faced Peter Parker. Instead, Holland looks ragged and hollow-eyed, perfect for an addict who is strung-out on drugs (Walker originally started robbing banks to support his heroin habit). Equally disturbing is the gun in clear focus in the foreground. Even in a picture, it’s a little unsettling to see the muzzle of a gun pointed right at you.
The caption reads, “No alarms. I’m a wanted man. They’ll kill me…”
Spider-Man, this ain’t.
Cherry might seem like a huge departure from Holland’s path as our webslinging wallcrawler, but it’s actually a savvy career move on Holland’s part. Plenty of actors who have become synonymous with their iconic roles, particularly in ongoing franchises, have found it difficult to transition into other roles after being typecast. It’s smart of Holland to get ahead of the MCU and play a role that doesn’t cater to his youthful looks or awkward charm and, in fact, does the opposite of that, establishing early on that he’s a flexible and versatile actor who can do it all. Plus, he’s still attached to play a young Nathan Drake in Sony’s troubled Uncharted adaptation. He’s also providing the voice for three animated movies, including Pixar’s Onward and Universal’s Dolittle, both releasing in 2020 and Spies in Disguise releasing on Christmas. On top of that, he’s also doing reshoots for Lionsgate’s delayed Chaos Walking, based on the dystopian YA book series, and is in thriller-drama The Devil All the Time, which is packed with a star-studded cast of deeply respected actors.
One interesting note? Most of these movies find him working with actors and directors with whom he’s had a previous relationship thanks to the MCU: The Russos for Cherry, Robert Downey Jr. for Dolittle, Disney overall for Onward, Jake Gyllenhaal for The Devil All the Time. It’s no secret that people in Hollywood like to work with people they know, but it’s a sign of how highly Holland is valued and how much people like working with him that room is being made specifically for him in multiple projects. Not to mention how much weight he has already accumulated in his young career, as we learned when news broke Holland was instrumental in getting Sony and Marvel together to restart talks about keeping Spider-Man in the MCU.
That is all really impressive coming from a guy who is still just 23 years old, especially considering that his career has only really broken big in the last three years. Lucky us that we get a front-row seat to see where his career goes in the next few years.
