DOES TOM HOLLAND’S HEIGHT PREVENT HIM FROM GETTING BETTER ROLES?
It seems everyone is Googling “How tall is Tom Holland?” Well, we have the answer. Coming in at a short 5’85 inches (1,73m), Tom Holland appears to be more the regular Joe than a superhero — but what he lacks in height, he makes up for with his charm. From his charming smile to his bright brown eyes, we love our web-slinging hero!
There isn’t a word that strikes as much fear into any actor or actress as “typecast.” For some, it could spell the end of their careers: being condemned to an endless loop of playing the same character in every film they do. Others never escape the shadow of their most popular characters – like what happened with almost the entire cast of the original Star Wars trilogy.
However, it’s even worse when actors get typecast because of their looks. Sure, you can somehow escape from the audience’s expectations by starring in projects that take you away from your comfort zone, just as it happened with comedian Bill Murray and drama films – but changing your looks is an entirely different thing.
While not in as dire a situation as someone like Danny DeVito, Tom Holland has seemingly become the de facto name in Hollywood for when a film needs a young, relatively slender character. The Spider-Man star is currently one of the more sought-after celebrities in the biz, and that is true, but his youngish looks might get in the way of an actor who would eventually try to reinvent himself.
As long as the role in question is that of a somewhat young adult or a younger version of an already-established character, Holland absolutely nails the part. That might explain why the recent Uncharted film had to rewrite parts of the video game mythos to insert Holland as a younger version of the globetrotting adventurer Nathan Drake.
Considering Holland’s rising popularity in recent years, his acting oeuvre remains relatively small – most of his acting credits are tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or voice acting roles. Whenever he’s not taking part in these blockbusters or playing the MCU character, his believability as a performer can take a hit.
Let’s take, for example, The Devil All the Time, where he co-stars with Bill Skarsgård and Robert Pattinson – both actors with a distinct younger look, like Tom Holland. Even then, Holland sticks out like a sore thumb as his face almost looks like a kid’s. Just for reference, Skarsgård is only six years older than Holland.
Perhaps the issue is that we’ve seen Holland grow from a child actor into his newfound superstardom too quickly. Just ten years ago, he played a major role in The Impossible. Many child actors never truly shake the impression they left on moviegoers when they were younger. That’s why it was so shocking to see someone like Haley Joel Osment in The Boys, for example.
As far as height goes, Tom Holland still has a fighting chance in Hollywood. He’s about two to three centimetres (0.8 inches) shorter than Tom Cruise, and we all know how great that man has performed in action blockbusters to this day.
That said, it will undoubtedly be hard for Tom Holland to escape his typecast. People are already fan-casting him in a live-action Ben 10 movie or alongside Zendaya in a live-action Atlantis: The Lost Empire movie. The good news is that he’s still very young, and there’s still time for the actor to surprise his fans with a completely new look when he turns 30. Just look at how much Zac Effron has changed over the years.
It’s also worth mentioning that Holand’s most recent role as Danny Sullivan in the Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room might be one of his finest, even if he still can’t quite shake his trademark youthful look.
If the Spider-Man actor has taught us anything, it’s that we rise above every stereotype.
