Tom Holland (Kingston-upon-Thames, 30 years old) is one of the most well-known actors of his generation, and he is also one of the most discreet. The British actor has managed to separate his personal life from his professional one, so much so that neither he nor his partner, the actress Zendaya, have confirmed or denied that they have tied the knot after a friend of the couple revealed the news and everyone now assumes they are husband and wife. It is rare for him to talk about matters related to his relationship; and it is also rare to hear him discuss episodes of his private life. During an interview in July 2023 on the podcast On Purpose, he spoke for the first time about the dyslexia he suffers from, a diagnosis he received when he was seven years old. Since then, although in small doses, he has been talking about it.
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In his latest interview on the podcast Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Holland explains the impact dyslexia has had on him and his work as an actor: “I have severe dyslexia, and that is one of the reasons why I have never participated in Saturday Night Live.” He added about his possible participation in SNL: “The idea of trying to read something and then having it changed terrifies me.” The actor also reveals during his conversation with the comedian that he feels “terrified” of having to read in public.
In response to this confession, the host, who was part of the late show cast between 2001 and 2008, explains to Holland that “many dyslexics” have hosted the show throughout its 51 seasons. “In my case, I can read well. But when I have to read aloud, it becomes a kind of… it’s like a mental block and I freeze,” the actor replies. “I’ve been very lucky to have been asked several times, and honestly, the idea scares me quite a bit. I love the show and I love the idea of having fun and making a fool of myself in such a fun and creative way. It’s just that I worry about the cue cards,” adds the Spider-Man actor.
Far from ending there, Holland continued talking about how dyslexia affects his daily life: “For me, the worst day at work is script reading. I try to highlight everything and learn my lines in advance, so more than reading, I skim through it.”
At seven years old, in addition to dyslexia, he was also diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). “My mother was always very involved in our education. She always wanted us to give our best. My father insisted that he didn’t care about the grades, he just wanted us to try hard, to give our best. What affected me the most was spelling, mainly reading and writing,” he said in that 2023 conversation.
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In an interview published that same year on the podcast Smartless, Holland explained how it even affected his use of social media. “I am so severely dyslexic that when I post something on Instagram [where he has 63.7 million followers], I have two or three other people read it. It stresses me out to think that everyone has seen it and that I come off as an idiot.”
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Dyslexia has been a small obstacle in his life, but Holland has shown that nothing can stop his career as an actor. “I have ADHD and dyslexia, and sometimes it intimidates me a bit when someone gives me a blank canvas. And sometimes you face those challenges when developing a character,” he said during the promotion of a LEGO short film.
For now, he does not plan to host SNL, but he has participated in other television formats that have generated even more public exposure than his movies. In 2017, he appeared on Lip Sync Battle, where he performed Rihanna’s Umbrella, with his performance going viral within hours. “I get more praise for that dance than for any other work I’ve done,” he now reveals on Good Hang with Amy Poehler. His performance has accumulated more than 200 million views on YouTube alone.
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