Happy birthday, Tom Holland: Celebrating actor's remarkable voice acting roles
Everyone's beloved British actor Tom Holland turned a year older on Thursday. The 27-year-old actor has captured hearts with his on-screen charisma as Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man and delivered remarkable performances in films such as How I Live Now and The Devil All the Time. On his birthday, we delve into a facet of Holland's versatile talent that often goes unnoticed—the world of animation.
Jip - 'Dolittle' (2022)
Holland lends his voice to Jip—a loyal and courageous dog who accompanies Dr. Dolittle, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., on his extraordinary adventures. For this role, the actor turned to his pet for guidance and inspiration. In an interview, Holland had explained, "I just based this character on Tess, (Holland's dog). I just brought Tess to the studio."
Ian Lightfoot - 'Onward' (2020)
Helmed by Dan Scanlon, the adventure animated film Onward centers around two elf brothers—a shy and fearful, Ian Lightfoot (Holland) and the boisterous activist Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt)—and their quest to bring back their deceased father. It is interesting to note that to bring a boyish charm to Ian's character, Holland, revealed in an interview, that he imitated his real-life younger brother Paddy Holland.
Walter Beckett - 'Spies in Disguise' (2019)
In the animated spy comedy film Spies in Disguise, Holland lends his voice to Walter Beckett, a socially inept genius who graduated from MIT at the age of 15. With his youthful energy and incomparable comedic timing, Holland breathes life into Beckett. The film also stars Will Smith as Lance Sterling—the world's most amazing spy—who is transformed into a pigeon by Beckett.
Shō - 'Arrietty' (2010)
For those unversed, Holland made his cinematic debut in the Japanese animated film Arrietty at the tender age of 15. The actor provided his voice for the character of Shō (English version). In this film, one cannot immediately recognize Holland's voice because he dubbed it in his British accent. Meanwhile, the character Shō (Shawn) was also voiced by David Henry in an American accent.
Holland voiced Percy Pig's character for a commercial
Apart from animated films, the versatile actor became the first celebrity to ever voice the iconic British character Percy Pig, created in 1992, for the UK retailer Marks & Spencer. The actor, in an interview, revealed that it took him less than a second to say yes to voicing Percy. He further shared, "I did consider asking for a lifetime supply of Percy Pigs."
