Amid the release of his two summer blockbusters, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland is also looking ahead to his next challenge by portraying Fred Astaire.
The 30-year-old actor is set to portray the golden age film and dance star in Sony Pictures‘ untitled Fred Astaire drama, directed by Paul King, which was announced five years ago. During a recent appearance on Good Morning America, Holland revealed he has begun dance rehearsals and plans to dive back into training once his current press tour wraps.
“I now feel like I’m starting this chapter where I can’t quite get away with being a teenager anymore and for me, what I love about my job is the challenges,” he said. “We have Fred Astaire next, [which] is what we’re planning on doing. And as soon as I finish with these tours, I’m diving back into the dance studio.”
He continued, “I did my first few rehearsals recently. And it both filled me with excitement and absolute dread because I’ve got so much work to do to try and do Fred proud.”
Explaining how he hopes to honor Astaire’s legacy, Holland said, “I have a desire to use no doubles. To do all of the dancing. To shoot those dances in one shot. How he would have done it.”
Holland has a dance background, having starred in Billy Elliot the Musical in London’s West End from 2008 to 2010.
During a separate appearance on Live With Kelly and Mark, Holland reflected on stepping away from dance after Billy Elliot.
“One of my biggest regrets in my career is after I finished Billy Elliot, I quit dancing.”
“To have an opportunity to get to re-explore that world that I loved so much, that I owe so much to,” he explained. “I’m so excited for the challenge.”
The Odyssey, in which Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, is now in theaters. His fourth solo Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, opens July 31.
