With the Harry Potter franchise, JK Rowling created an entire mythos and franchise that has become a global phenomenon. Much of the Harry Potter‘s success has resulted from the fact that Rowling has kept the reigns of the series firmly in hand. Rowling is the authority on all things Harry Potter – or so we thought. Marvel’s Spider-Man actor Tom Holland recently did an interview with BBC Radio, in which the topic of his intense Harry Potter fandom came up. During that exchange, Tom Holland actually goes so far as to claim that he my know more about Harry Potter than JK Rowling does!
Videos by ComicBook.com
Here’s what Tom Holland told BBC Radio 1‘s Film Critic Ali Plumb, about why his Harry Potter knowledge may outweigh Rowling’s:
“Tomorrow morning is the Harry Potter Pub Quiz at my local, and I would smash that quiz. I think I know more about ‘Harry Potter’ than JK Rowling, I’m like obsessed with Harry Potter. Growing up as a kid, it was my favorite thing ever.”
Holland is obviously joking (obviously!). The Spider-Man actor is exaggerating his fanboy devotion to Harry Potter – which is not at all surprising, given Holland’s age (23). When Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was first released in 1997 Holland was just an infant; his entire first experience reading a major series, and discovering all the joys of fandom, clearly came from Harry Potter landing in his lap at the most formative of ages. As for the comment about Rowling: In the modern age of fandom that Holland grew up in, fans are definitely so obsessive in their intricate knowledge of franchise mythos that they can outright intimidate the creators themselves. George Lucas and every Star Wars director after him have definitely suffered fan wrath; and at this point, stars like Harrison Ford don’t even bother to indulge fan debates. So, while Tom Holland may be joking about being more Harry Potter official than its creator, there are more than a few online trolls who actually feel that way.
As Holland reveals later in the same interview, he’s getting set to start production on the Uncharted video game movie adaptation. Marvel fans are also thrilled that Sony and Marvel Studios buried the hatchet, so that Holland’s Spider-Man will get a third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and possibly make a surprise appearance in Venom 2. That’s all to say: the only thing the young actor could possibly do to have a bigger career would be to actually star in a Harry Potter reboot.
Tom Holland next appears in Pixar’s Onward on March 6th. Uncharted hits theaters on March 5, 2021. The Harry Potter movies continue with Fantastic Beasts 3 on November 12, 2021.