The 27-year-old British performer, best known for giving life to Spider-Man in the Marvel films, showed off his new look for his new work.
Tom Holland needs no introduction. The actor is one of the most recognized in recent years thanks to his role as Peter Parker in the latest Spider-Man trilogy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After breaking the box office with the adventures of the spider hero and starring in some secondary projects, the 27-year-old performer decided to take a break from acting, until now.
Now Holland is preparing to make his return to the West End, London's theater circuit, where he will star in a new version of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare's famous play. To prepare for the role, the actor underwent a major appearance change.
In the last few hours, new images of Holland in his role as Romeo were released where you can see a slight change in look. Unlike other opportunities, where we were used to seeing him with medium curly hair, Holland surprised to show himself with part of his head shaved to the sides and a little bangs on top.
Prior to the premiere of the play, Tom Holland shared a message through his social networks in which he hinted at his enthusiasm and the importance of this project for him.
"Tonight was the beginning of something very special," one of Holland's posts on his Instagram account begins. "I am beyond proud of our cast and crew who have gone above and beyond in every way. I can't wait for the next few weeks. Tonight was truly a highlight of my career and I am so happy to be able to share it with these incredible people. I love you all and see you tomorrow!" he added.
Prior to the premiere, it had been Zendaya, his castmate in Spider-Man and current partner, who had referred to the importance of the work, and how hard Holland had worked for this moment. She even went so far as to reveal that she helped him rehearse the lines of the play, something that the actress enjoyed enormously since she is a big fan of Shakespeare.
This new version of Shakespeare's classic is directed by Jamie Lloyd and can be seen for only 12 weeks. In the months prior to the play's premiere, it was harshly impacted by racist comments towards Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, who plays Juliet.
The actress was harshly attacked by many social media users, not only for being of African-American origin, but because many considered her "ugly" to play the leading role in the story. "But the character is white," one person wrote. "The world is not racist, but this is the worst casting ever for Juliet," another commented.
As a result of this situation, the director of the play issued a statement in defense of Amewudah-Rivers and against racist comments.
"Following the announcement of our cast of Romeo and Juliet, there has been a barrage of deplorable online racial abuse directed at a member of our company. This must stop," reads the statement that was shared on the company's Instagram account and of the work. "Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported," he adds.
