Quote Of The Day By Tom Holland: The Value Of Trying

In the last decade, Tom Holland’s career has been catapulted to dizzying heights with which even Spider-Man would struggle. He’s completely transitioned from starring in smaller, ambitious movies to being a leading man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But he hasn’t been handed success on a plate; he’s worked hard to get to where he is now.

The actor got his start in London’s West End after learning to dance and being cast in “Billy Elliot” in 2008. He played a supporting role at first, later getting bumped up to the titular lead. When his run on the stage show ended, he won an emotional role in the biographical disaster movie, “The Impossible.” From there, he quickly collected supporting roles that often stole the spotlight, whether it was a teenager faced with an oncoming nuclear war in “How I Live Now,” or a cabin boy in the historical drama “In the Heart of the Sea.”

Holland’s TV work includes an acclaimed historical series, “Wolf Hall,” as well as Apple TV’s “The Crowded Room.” He made his Spider-Man debut in 2016 in “Captain America: Civil War,” and has led four solo movies as the wall-crawler. His performance in the latest sequel also has earned rave reviews from audiences and critics alike, and he’s today’s Quote of the Day.

“The most important thing, in anything you do, is always trying your hardest, because even if you try your hardest and it’s not as good as you’d hoped, you still have that sense of not letting yourself down.The harder you try, the better the impression you set on the people around you.”

The quote above comes from a 2013 interview Tom Holland did with Teen Vogue promoting “The Impossible.” During the conversation he was asked whether he had any advice for other people who wanted to get into acting. But in the years since, it seems like it’s also become a mantra for himself. 

He also recalled something his father, comedian Dominic Holland, told him while growing up: “My dad has always told me, ‘I don’t mind how you do, just as long you try your best.’ And it’s going pretty well for me.” Little did he know that the advice would web-sling his career into the stratosphere.

The quote from Tom Holland may sound straightforward, but there are some layers behind it aside from just “try your hardest.” For starters, it’s about the intention. If you intend to do your best at a challenge, or at work, it helps create a positive mindset regardless of the task at end — even if it’s difficult. Entering the situation with positivity already puts you on a path to success, even if it doesn’t play out in an deal way.

Secondly, as the “Spider-Man” actor points out, others around you will likely form a better opinion of you because of your general approach to adversity. That can definitely be useful in settings like in personal relationships, job interviews, assessments, and meetings at work. Of course, it also means that you can be safe in the knowledge that you’ve given everything you have into a task, rather than spending time afterwards wondering what would’ve happened if you had tried harder or experimented with a different tactic.

For Holland, his approach to his career has helped open doors in Hollywood that might’ve seemed impossible when he originally reeled out those words of advice back in 2013. Since then, he’s worked with some of the biggest stars in the world because of his decade-long tenure as Spider-Man in the MCU. Because Holland has become such a well known star, he’s incredibly picky about the work he takes on, and he has even turned down hosting “Saturday Night Live” multiple times.