Tom Holland doesn’t mince words: “I’ve made some s*** movies”
In a frank new podcast interview, Tom Holland admits there were times he had to sell a film he didn’t believe in.
There are rituals in the film industry that only get stranger the longer you watch them — the junket being a case in point. Imagine: hotel after hotel, the same ring lights, the same four-minute routine, the same polite lies about a film you shot nearly two years ago. Most actors dutifully play along. No one wants the angry phone calls from a studio publicist. But every now and then, someone slips and admits what the rest are thinking.
This time, it’s Tom Holland giving the game away. He’s been everywhere this July, promoting not one but two films — Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (now in cinemas) and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which lands 31 July. On the podcast Dish, chatting with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett, Holland was asked the standard 'how’s the tour?' question. What followed was less than standard — and yes, it involved a candid bombshell.
Promoting a film you're proud of is easy, he explained, because you aren't lying to anybody when you tell people to go and see it. He then described the other kind of junket, the one where an interviewer asks why anyone should bother and the honest answer runs behind the eyes: "You shouldn't, because it's s**t."
On a streak — and not missing the mark
With his summer looking rather like a lap of honour, Holland went on to talk about what the job actually feels like at this point. Apparently, he learned loads during three days of press with Anne Hathaway for The Odyssey, and admitted that — despite all of this — he’s now suddenly developed a fear of flying. Not ideal for someone whose office is up in the clouds half the year.
No real reason to be bashful, mind. The Odyssey has opened to a whopping $124.5 million in the States, giving Nolan his biggest live-action opening as of 2026. It’s on 94% with Rotten Tomatoes — another personal best for the director. The film itself cost a hefty $250 million to make, and somehow earned back over $300 million worldwide in the first week. When you’re stood on a win that size, you can admit that not all your previous gigs were Oscar-worthy. The timing isn’t bad for honesty.
The Odyssey opened to $124.5 million domestically, the biggest live-action debut of 2026.
The not-so-greats
So the inevitable guessing game began about which films he meant. The clues weren’t subtle. Take the Holland filmography: Dolittle (15%), Chaos Walking (21%), Cherry (37%), and Uncharted (about 40%) — all Rotten Tomatoes scores, all well below what you’d call a 'proud' number. That’s where fans have been pointing since the clip surfaced. Truth is, Holland’s barely tried to pretend otherwise — he took a full year off after that string of what we’ll kindly call mixed results, and the work he gets praised for is, uncannily, usually the work he’s chosen himself.
What’s next for Holland?
No one knows yet whether Brand New Day is another hit or another bullet point in future confessions. Sony’s kept the film away from critics for now. What’s clear: it’s directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and features Peter Parker struggling through a world that's literally forgotten him. Jon Bernthal enters as the Punisher, with Zendaya and Jacob Batalon back as well.
- Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
- Zendaya as MJ
- Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds
- Jon Bernthal as The Punisher
Next up after swinging through New York: a Fred Astaire biopic. It could be another run of critical duds, or keep the hottest streak of his career alive. Either way, you sense we’ll hear about it in a hotel suite at some point soon.