On February 5th, 2023, Tom Holland took to Instagram to tease a big announcement for the following day. The British star, who plays Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, took a break from a game of golf to send his fans into a frenzy, with all kinds of theories about what the announcement would be doing the rounds online.
The announcement turned out to be a return to the stage for Holland, as he’s been cast to play Romeo Montague in Jamie Lloyd’s new West End adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
It may not have been the announcement some fans of the actor were hoping for, but it’s exciting nonetheless – especially for theater fans. Holland will be fantastic in the iconic role of Romeo, and here are five of his movie performances that prove it.
Lucas Bennett in The Impossible (2012)
The character of Romeo comes with an inherent youthful vulnerability, and Holland displayed that in droves in his movie debut, 2012’s The Impossible. The film depicts the events of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and Holland plays Lucas Bennett, the son of Naomi Watts’ Maria Bennett and Ewan McGregor’s Henry Bennett (fictionalized versions of the Spanish Belón family who experienced the events).
Holland’s introduction to movies was impressive, playing a child caught up in a tragedy. The fact that he didn’t look out of place next to Watts and McGregor – the former who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film – says everything.
Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, in the MCU (2016-Present)
Tom Holland has played Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, since 2016 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He debuted in Captain America: Civil War and has now appeared in six films as the character (seven, including an uncredited cameo showing footage of him in 2021’s SSU movie Venom: Let There Be Carnage).
Parker has to keep his identity as Spider-Man secret, similar to Romeo having to keep his love for and marriage to Juliet Capulet secret. That, and his portrayal of Parker’s devoted nature, lend themselves perfectly to playing Romeo, who is devoted to Juliet, Benvolio, Mercutio, and Friar Lawrence.
Arvin Russell in The Devil All the Time (2020)
There’s little in common between Romeo and Tom Holland’s character in The Devil All the Time, Arvin Russell. However, his performance in this movie is the most underrated of his career and proves he has versatility and can turn his hand to anything. Russell is fiercely protective of his adoptive sister, the bullied Lenor Laferty. He transforms from a scared child into a young man whose primarily revenge-based actions grow colder and colder at every turn. That ability to convey character development will be important as Romeo goes from lovesick to lovestruck to suicidal.
Cherry in Cherry (2021)
Cherry follows the eponymous character as he goes from being a college student to a PTSD-afflicted veteran forced to rob banks to pay for his and his wife Emily’s drug addiction. Holland plays Cherry, who falls madly in love at first sight with his future wife when she’s his classmate in college. His conveying of love at first sight is excellent and essential to Romeo’s relationship with Juliet. Moreover, the trauma he conveys after seeing terrible things in the army bodes well for his character’s traumatic experiences in Romeo and Juliet.
Todd Hewitt in Chaos Walking (2021)
The sci-fi action movie Chaos Walking, based on the book trilogy of the same name, follows a young man who lives in a dystopian world without women. When a woman crash-lands on the said world – the colony planet New World – he protects her from the inevitable dangers she encounters. Tom Holland plays Todd Hewitt, the man who protects Viola Eade, played by Daisy Ridley. While Todd doesn’t love Viola, his devotion towards her is reminiscent of someone who does, which should translate well when performing in Romeo and Juliet as Romeo, whose devotion to Juliet is second to none.
