I live the most regular life ever: Tom Holland

Bali (IANS) – It has been a crazy ride to fame for Tom Holland, who is winning hearts all around the world as the new Spider-Man. But he does not want to get lost in the glitz and glamour of the industry.

The actor thinks he has done a great job at evading the spotlight, and says he lives the “most normal and regular life ever”.

“I have done quite a good job of only being in the spotlight when I need to be… Like I don’t get paparazzied. I don’t go to fancy parties. I don’t do that kind of stuff,” Holland said in an interview while promoting his film “Spider-Man: Far From Home” here. “When I am not on the press tour or doing red carpet, I live the most normal and regular life ever. I have done a good job, at kind of, keeping out of the spotlight when it is possible,” he added.

How important it is to stay away from the limelight?

“It is very important because you can get lost in it. No one will ever say no (to you) and no one will ever tell you anything bad. That is why I keep my brothers, my family very close because they will tell me that ‘I am being a d*ck or an idiot’,” the 23-year-old said.

“So, it is super important and I try very hard to keep away from it. And that is why when I am not on the press tour, you will never see me in the newspaper or on a tabloid because I am at home playing golf,” added the actor, who has three brothers — Sam, Paddy and Harry.

The London native says working and travelling back-to-back can get “lonely”, and being with family helps him deal with it well.

“What is great is that they (family members) don’t tag along because Harry works (with me). He is a videographer. And we are actually planning to direct our film this year, which is exciting.

“Sam sleeps in his hotel room… He is on a holiday here,” he said with a chuckle.

On a serious note, he said: “It is lovely to be able to share this process because it will be quite lonely otherwise. I spend so much time on the road.”

For Holland, the path towards showbiz began getting carved when he was a child. The son of English comedian Dominic Holland studied dance when he was in school, and went on to do “Billy Elliot The Musical”.

He featured in films like “The Impossible”, “How I Live Now”, “In The Heart of the Sea” and “The Lost City of Z”. But his big ticket to Hollywood came with role as the iconic web-slinger.

Holland was introduced as Spider-Man in “Captain America: Civil War” in 2016. He got his first solo movie with “Spider-Man: Homecoming” — which took the superhero back to school.

He will be back as the superhero with his second solo movie “Spider-Man: Far From Home”, which Sony Pictures Entertainment India will release in India on July 4 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

The actor might not be a superhero or the ‘friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man’ in real life, but he came across as a friendly and affable person with a charming personality — with the way he cracked jokes in the middle of the interview, by taking a jibe at his track record of giving out spoilers and a little panic attack when he was unable to find his phone in his pocket.

Looking back at his journey, he said: “It has been crazy man. ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ was a whirlwind, and the press tour was crazy. And since then I haven’t stopped. I have been lucky that I have been making movies and working with people who I really admire.”

He says the ride in showbiz has so far been fun, but a “little tiring” as well.

“I have learnt this year that sometimes working too much leads to doing bad work. I am kind of learning to take a little bit of break and look after myself a little bit better.”

(Sugandha Rawal was in Bali on an invitation of Sony Pictures Entertainment India. She can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)