Tom Holland has confessed that some of his own films were, in his word, "shit" — and that promoting them was an exercise in keeping a straight face.

Speaking on the Dish Podcast (available on YouTube), the actor said he has had past experiences where, when asked why people should see a movie, his internal answer was blunt: "You shouldn't, because it's shit." He did not name the films in question. (Deadline)

Holland contrasted those experiences with his current press cycle. Promoting a movie he genuinely believes in, he said, is "really easy" — because he is not lying when he recommends it. He described the publicity rounds for both The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day as "a bit of a victory lap" and said he is "super proud of both of the films." (Deadline)

The timing backs him up. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, in which Holland plays Telemachus opposite Matt Damon's Odysseus and Anne Hathaway's Penelope, crossed the $300 million global box office mark in its first week of release. The press tour has been visible and high-spirited: Holland appeared alongside Zendaya and Jon Bernthal on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 19 July, and he and Damon filmed a pizza-making interview with NYT Cooking on 12 July. (Deadline)

Getting to The Odyssey was not straightforward. Holland had a "very uncomfortable" conversation about his Spider-Man commitments to clear room for the Nolan shoot, according to Deadline. He wrapped production on The Odyssey before moving on to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, his fourth solo outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That film premiered its official trailer at a New York City landmark event in March, and arrives in theatres on 31 July 2026. (Deadline)

For an actor who has headlined blockbuster franchises since his teens, the honesty is unusual. Most stars in Holland's position keep their doubts bottled until long after the box office closes. The admission that some past projects fell short in his own eyes — delivered mid-victory lap, on a podcast rather than a carefully managed magazine profile — gives the compliment he is paying The Odyssey and Brand New Day a sharper edge. If Holland says he is proud of these two, he has also told us what the alternative feels like.

Both films will be in theatres simultaneously by the end of July, closing out what is shaping up to be a remarkably busy summer for the 30-year-old actor.