Tom Holland has revealed that his 2017 performance of Rihanna's 'Umbrella' on Lip Sync Battle still garners him more praise than any of his film roles. The Spider-Man star made the admission during an appearance on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast.
A Memorable Performance
Holland's routine, which aired nearly a decade ago, began with a rendition of 'Singin' in the Rain' in a grey suit before transitioning into 'Umbrella' under artificial rain. Midway through, he shed the suit to reveal fishnet tights, black shorts, a black vest, red lipstick, and a short dark wig, followed by a tightly choreographed dance.
'I get more compliments for that dance than any piece of work I have ever done,' Holland told Poehler. The actress responded that she had watched the clip 'more than most movies' and attributed its enduring popularity to Holland appearing 'comfortable with his feminine side.'
Early Dance Training
Poehler referenced Holland's background as a young ballet dancer, which included his role in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical in 2008. Holland recalled discussions about the outfit for the performance, noting that when a dresser suggested cutting the shorts shorter, he refused, saying, 'This is still years ahead of its time.'
Despite his confidence, Holland admitted feeling nervous about performing live and potentially messing up the choreography. However, he said he hadn't considered how the audience would react. 'It never really crossed my mind how it would be received,' he explained. 'I just thought, 'Oh, what a fun idea.''
Audience Reaction
Holland described the moment he began the performance in the suit: 'You felt the energy in the room literally deflate. I started doing the thing in the suit and everyone in that audience is 19 years old and I was like, 'What on earth is he doing?' And I just knew in my body, when I take this suit off you are going to go nuts.'
The performance remains one of the most-watched clips from Lip Sync Battle, with Comedy Central's YouTube video amassing over 172.5 million views. One of the top comments reads: 'This ain't my first time here, and it ain't gonna be my last.'
Father's Concern
In 2021, Holland shared that his father, writer and comedian Dominic Holland, tried to stop the performance out of concern it would harm his career. 'Look, I am really glad I did that show and I had a lot of fun,' Holland said. 'It was incredibly stressful. It has been incredibly successful and has been a really great thing for my career. But my dad always taught me when I was younger and coming up in the business that you want to get famous as slowly as possible.'
