Tom Holland Reveals His Biggest Career Regret: The ‘Mistake’ That Nearly Cost Him His Role

Tom Holland’s meteoric rise to Hollywood stardom has been nothing short of remarkable. From his acclaimed debut in The Impossible to his beloved portrayal of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Holland has long been hailed as a multi-talented performer. But even the most successful careers have their hiccups, and for Holland, one of those moments came with his starring role in Uncharted.

Released in 2022, the action-adventure film marked Holland’s first live-action portrayal of Nathan Drake, a character originally made famous by the PlayStation video game series. Uncharted, directed by Ruben Fleischer, had been in development for years before finally materializing with Holland in the lead alongside Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas. Despite its commercial success, raking in $407 million worldwide, the film struggled to win over critics. Among the criticisms was Holland’s portrayal of Drake—an aspect the actor himself admitted was flawed.

In a candid interview with GQ, Holland revealed that his performance as Nathan Drake didn’t quite hit the mark. “I think there are elements of my performance in Uncharted where I kind of fell under that spell of being ‘I want to look good now. I want this to be my cool moment,’” he shared. For Holland, the issue wasn’t the action sequences or the script, but rather his own mindset. He was too preoccupied with projecting a tough, action-hero persona, a move he now considers a “mistake.”

This fixation on appearance led him to approach scenes differently than he typically would. Instead of focusing solely on the character and the story, Holland admitted to thinking more about how he looked on screen. “As soon as you start worrying about ‘Do I look good in this shot?’ acting becomes something other than playing a character,” he explained. “At times, it was less about land a mark and go through this scene and more about land a mark, stand like this and see my bulging biceps.”

Holland’s willingness to reflect openly on his performance is a testament to his dedication to his craft. Rather than brushing off the criticism, he’s taken it as a learning experience. “It was a mistake and is something that I will probably never do again,” he concluded, suggesting that his future roles will focus more on the depth of the character than on maintaining a certain image.

As one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars, Holland’s self-awareness and determination to grow only add to his appeal. While Uncharted may not have been a critical favorite, it serves as a reminder that even the best actors have room to learn—and that missteps can ultimately lead to stronger performances down the line.