After spending so much of his young life as an actor, Tom Holland was bound to hit a career rut earlier than most. He told GQ that his major rut hit him at 18, right after he was through with Ron Howard’s “In the Heart of the Sea.” Holland was feeling his oats after that movie, and felt like he didn’t need to take auditions seriously anymore — which meant he wasn’t getting booked.
So, his mother gave him a backup plan that followed her side of the family’s work heritage. “…my mum said, ‘Look, you’re not getting any work, so you need to go and have a plan B,'” he told GQ. “‘I’ve booked you at this carpentry school in Cardiff. Six-week course. You’re gonna go, you’re gonna learn to be a carpenter.'” It was while he was in Cardiff that he auditioned for “Spider-Man.” Even though he hasn’t had to build anything professionally since, Holland said he “loved” learning the trade.
