Tom Holland shared how he really felt about performing Rihanna’s hit song ‘Umbrella’ during a July 2017 episode of Lip Sync Battle.
“I’m proud of it,” the Spider-Man: No Way Home star, 27, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday, June 14. “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. I was meeting producers and directors and going to L.A. by myself. I was finally at that stage where I could say, ‘Can I bring my friends?’ And they’d say, ‘Yeah.’”
In the clip, Holland wore a black romper, fishnet stockings and a black bob wig as he showed off his moves in the rain. The actor went on to stun the audience with racy choreography, even grinding on competitor — and now-girlfriend — Zendaya at one point.
When asked about his much-discussed sexy costume, Holland revealed that he wasn’t trying to make a larger statement on toxic masculinity at the time.
“I’ve grown up in the most non-toxic masculine environment possible. I didn’t realize what I was doing was so forward thinking,” the U.K. native explained. “I was just like, ‘Yeah, f–k it, I’ll put some fishnets on and dance in the rain. That’ll be really fun. I don’t care.’ But you’d never catch me doing that now. Just because I don’t want to do a f—king TV show that I don’t need to do. I’d rather go and play golf and live my little private life.”
Holland added: “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.”
Zendaya, 26, meanwhile, gushed in February 2021 that she was still in awe of Holland’s performance.
“He obviously killed it,” the Euphoria star recalled in an interview with Esquire at the time. (Zendaya, for her part, sang “24k Magic” by Bruno Mars and “Tyrone” by Erykah Badu.)
Aside from their noteworthy lip sync battle, Holland and the Dune actress have made headlines for their sweet romance. The actors met while working on Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016. Although relationship rumors swirled for several years, the duo didn’t confirm they were an item until July 2021 when they were seen packing on PDA in Holland’s car.
“They make a good match because they’re both of the kindest actors you will meet. Zendaya is selfless, caring and compassionate, and you can see that in Tom as well,” an insider told Us Weekly at the time. “They’re both artists and are creative — not just when it comes to acting but in other ways. And they’re both really close to their families.”
Although the twosome have kept relatively quiet about their romance in interviews, Holland gave a sweet update on their relationship while promoting his new show, The Crowded Room, earlier this week.
“I have no rizz whatsoever,” the Avengers: Endgame star joked, adding that he needs his romantic partners “to fall in love with me … for it to work” — which he does by “making a movie with them,” he quipped, referring to his relationship with Zendaya. (The pair have starred alongside each other in three Spider-Man movies.)
“I’m locked up, so I’m happy and in love,” Holland gushed. “So, I’ve got no need for rizz.”
The Shake It Up alum, for her part, posted a subtle tribute to her beau in honor of his birthday earlier this month. Taking to her Instagram Story, Zendaya included a photo of the British actor swimming in the ocean, overlaying the shot with a red heart emoji.
