Tom Holland Credits Nolan's 'The Odyssey' With a Career Reset

Tom Holland says Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has given him "an ambition to see what else is out there for me." He said it at a London screening on Thursday, held at the 65-feet high BFI Imax theater, and he meant it as a career statement.

Holland has starred in two of this year's biggest-grossing films — "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey" — but it's the Greek epic that he says will shape whatever comes next. He plays Telemachus, son of Odysseus.

"I've been an admirer of Chris since I can remember, and to have the opportunity to work with him and to have his approval, and to sit in his house and watch his movie and to get a pat on the back, for me, just was like the perfect way for me to start whatever it is that I'm doing next," Holland explained. "He's given me a level of confidence as an actor that I don't know if I had before."

What did Holland take from the shoot?

Confidence, mostly. He said he learned from fellow actors — the cast included his wife Zendaya — and from the crew, but the decisive gift was Nolan's approval. He'll enter his next project, in his words, "with this sense of achievement and this newfound confidence in what I think I can do." He added: "That is what Chris and Emma do so well, is they really champion their actors."

The actor, who has played Spider-Man for over a decade, is understood to be in pre-production on a Fred Astaire biopic. It's a return to his roots: Holland entered showbiz through the West End stage production of "Billy Elliot." From Astaire back to ballet shoes, more or less.

What did Robert Pattinson reveal?

Robert Pattinson, who plays the scheming Antinous in "The Odyssey," joined Holland at the screening and reflected on working with Nolan and his wife and producing partner Emma Nolan. The couple, he said, make filmmaking look "effortless."

Pattinson, currently in London filming "The Batman: Part II," lives next door to the Nolans in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz. There he witnessed something unlikely: a charity bake sale on the Nolans' driveway, five days before shooting began on the most ambitious project of their careers.

"It's like a week out from shooting, and [Emma] had made about a million cakes, which were delicious, like incredible cakes, and she stayed all day," Pattinson said. "It was for a charity, and she's like selling cakes in the driveway, to the neighbors, all day. This is about five days before the shoot. Her and Chris. I was literally like, this is the craziest thing I've ever seen."

"I was literally just walking past. I'm like, 'Oh, you're still doing the cakes?'" he laughed. "It's wild. They're just on another level of calm."

Why does the film's format matter?

"The Odyssey" is the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film cameras, and Nolan shot more than 2 million feet of film across three months, six countries, land and sea. Holland argued the format changes acting itself.

"I think what's so amazing about Chris is that he's able to create scale, but without sacrificing the heart and soul of what makes the characters tick," he said.

"The beauty of the Imax camera is that it almost like looks into your soul," he continued. "You know, like you have stage acting, and then it kind of goes to film acting, and there's a difference. And then I think there's even a bigger difference to IMAX acting."

There was one drawback. Glancing at the screen behind him, Holland quipped: "I was very upset about my pimple opening the movie. It literally is the opening scene. First time you see me, it's like right there."

A pimple at 70mm. Some prices of admission can't be negotiated. With the Astaire biopic in pre-production, that newfound confidence faces its first test on the dance floor.