Tom Holland reflects on famous 2017 lip sync battle, and fishnets

Tom Holland is finally opening up about the unforgettable 2017 Lip Sync Battle performance that continues to follow him around, and it turns out the story behind the viral moment is just as entertaining as the performance itself.

While teaming up with Gordon Ramsay on July 31 to make a spicy fried chicken sandwich, the Spider-Man star reflected on the now-iconic Umbrella routine that had him dancing in fishnets and heels to Rihanna’s hit song. 

Ramsay, 58, didn’t waste time bringing it up, jokingly asking about the famous fishnets, “Were they mum’s fishnets?” 

To which Holland, 29, replied with a grin, “They were my granny’s, actually.”

As they cooked together at the Gordon Ramsay Academy, Holland looked back fondly on the experience. He recalled that, at the time, no one really knew he could dance, something he had intentionally kept a secret. 

“What was really great about that is people didn’t know that I could dance,” he said. “I kept that quiet, I don’t know why. And I came out with a bang.”

Holland was joined on the show by his now-fiancée Zendaya, and he admitted they had originally planned to keep things low-key. 

“It was like, ‘I’m not gonna do anything crazy, you’re not gonna do anything crazy, we’re just gonna keep it nice and easy breezy,’” he shared. But that idea didn’t last long.

As rehearsals progressed, things took a wild turn. 

“When I was working with the creative team coming up with the ideas, they kind of pitched this Umbrella thing, and as we were rehearsing, it got crazier and crazier,” he explained. 

“And then the rain machine came in. And then I was like, ‘F--- it, I wanna wear fishnets and do this, and I want a wig and a quick-change.’”

However, not everyone was on board at first. Holland revealed that his father, director Dominic Holland, had reservations. 

“When I told my dad, he was like, ‘Son, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t think you should do that,’” Holland said. 

“I think he was just, at that time in my career, he was very worried about me becoming too famous too quickly. So he was really keen for me to not do extra TV shows that I didn’t have to do to try and maintain that part of my childhood.”

Years later, Holland admits the sketch still gets brought up constantly, even more than his blockbuster roles. 

“Honestly, of all the pieces of work I’ve done, that I’ve put my heart and soul into, blood, sweat, and tears, the Lip Sync Battle is the thing that everyone brings up,” he laughed. “It’s never Spider-Man, it’s never any of my other movies, it’s always Lip Sync Battle. It haunts me.”

Still, despite the lingering attention, it’s clear Holland looks back on the performance with a mix of humour and pride, fishnets and all.