All the actors who play superheroes gather mega-level of followers around the world, but there’s none quite like Tom Holland, whose fan following is unanimously positive and wide. He’s already the most featured Spider-Man in film with five appearances, and his young career is taking him into exciting roles.
It was announced that Tom will be playing Nathan Drake in the film adaptation of Uncharted, which is the PlayStation’s most popular franchise to date. Millions of fans covet Uncharted as the ultimate game, so Tom has enormous expectations to satisfy. But we’re certain he’ll be just as good a Nathan Drake as he’s been Peter Parker, mostly due to these 10 performances that prove he’s ready to star in the Uncharted series.
Moments (2013)
Before the teen love drama genre was made cool by films like The Fault in Our Stars and Five Feet Apart, Tom was in a short film called Moments, where the story was narrated by him. Detailing the progression of love between two teenagers, the clips displayed their best moments and the days leading up the girl’s end.
It was a fabulous performance where Tom needed to act out the narration he himself was reading, and Uncharted will require him to follow through a similar format. You can expect narration to arrive in between scenes, and Nathan’s childhood is known to comprise of tragedy where he lost his brother.
Tweet (2015)
Tom has little to no screentime in this short film, but a fact you’d like to know is that he’s the director of this feature. It’s a cute story, where Tom’s little brother designs a birdhouse, and the resultant efforts the boy makes to make it possible. The funny twist at the end is that Paddy Holland only wanted a birdhouse so he could hunt birds, not raise them.
The short showed off the creativity that Tom possesses, and the part of Nathan Drake will require him to have his own brand of performance. The script will only get him so far, which means creativity like his Tweet short will help him bring out the attitude of Nathan.
In The Heart Of The Sea (2015)
Thor and Spider-Man team up in this harrowing adventure-horror story set deep within the sea. Tom plays a young cabin boy on board a ship that is setting sail on the hunt for whales. It’s a surprisingly scary story that is initially presented as an adventure feature.
Tom plays the role of the youngest crew member who is in way over his head. His performance has him portray great fear turned into reluctant acceptance, as the character soldiers through to survive. Uncharted will most definitely have Nathan Drake cast into the sea, and if you want to see how young Nathan might react, then you can go and have a look at In the Heart of the Sea.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Everyone knows of this performance. This was the film that made Tom the A-Lister he is at such a young age, and he thoroughly deserves all the praise. Following his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Tom needed to play Spider-Man in a way never shown before, which was a tall task considering the dozens of Spider-Man media we’ve seen so far.
This is the kind of origin story we want from Uncharted as well, and Tom will only need to replicate the effort he made in Spider-Man: Homecoming as a coming-to-terms Peter Parker into his version of Nathan Drake in order for the film to be a success.
Billy Elliot: The Musical (2008-10)
Before his star-making role as Spider-Man, Tom’s best-known performance had been as a cast member for the stage production of Billy Elliot. Although he was primarily playing the role of Billy’s best friend Michael, he did step in as Billy as a replacement on occasion.
You obviously can’t watch the whole thing since it was onstage, but there are clips on YouTube where you see Tom dance it all up in a lovely production. While being Nathan Drake won’t require him to dance (wouldn’t that be something, though?), Billy Elliot does show us how talented Tom has been since a very young age and versatility is inherent to him.
The Lost City of Z (2017)
You’d be wrong to think that Uncharted will be Tom’s first outing as an adventurer, because The Lost City of Z was an opportunity for him to go out in the wilderness and do some exploration. Unlike Uncharted, however, this film has no comedic bits and is a dramatic take in the adventure genre.
Still, it gave us the first performance where Tom is a thrill seeker, and he does not disappoint. Having superb chemistry with Charlie Hunnam also gives us an idea of how Tom would fare with the actor set to play Nathan’s mentor, Sully.
Locke (2013)
There’s not much to say about Tom’s performance in Locke when it is only for about a minute where just his voice is heard, but it does make the film a better watch. Locke features one character onscreen as he drives for the night over to a hospital where his child out of wedlock is being born.
Tom’s role is that of Locke’s son, and he is heard when the main character calls home. Despite having a minimal role to play, Tom does a bang on job at being the clueless teenage son who has an idea that something’s the matter, but doesn’t relay this to his father. It is this exchange that adds further tension to the film.
Edge of Winter (2016)
This is a rather bizarre film, which morphs from a normal seemingly coming-of-age drama into a horror-thriller. Edge of Winter is about a father with extreme rage issues as he attempts to bond with his two estranged young sons. After things spiral out of control, the boys must escape from their unhinged father in the snow.
You can excuse the weird plot and appreciate the performances for what they are. Tom does a great job playing the older son (a nice change from usually being the younger character) who is reluctant to be in the position he is in. Nathan Drake, despite seeking adventure, always ends up in the least desirable places, and Edge of Winter is a place he can derive the required emotions from.
Pilgrimage (2017)
Tom hasn’t had many leading roles out outside of the Spider-Man films, but this might be the first time he got a shot at being the main character. The film isn’t all that great, which makes Tom’s performance stand out even more. It’s a Medieval thriller where Tom plays the main character stuck in a chaotic situation.
The best thing we can take away from Pilgrimage, though, is Tom’s excellent delivery at reading ancient languages. Nathan Drake more than often reads scriptures around the world, and Tom will need to be accurate in portraying himself as an expert as good as Nathan is. Pilgrimage is one film that shows off the ancient aspect the Uncharted film will no doubt have.
The Impossible (2012)
Very easily, this is the best performance of Tom Holland’s career. You can’t get out of The Impossible without welling up with tears, as the film plays out the 2004 tsunami in Asia, with a family serving as the framing device for this harrowing real event.
Tom plays the oldest son in the family, with him complimenting Naomi Watts marvelously as the separated mother-son duo in the destroyed landscape where they search for their remaining family. Tom was incredibly well at being the hapless teenager trying to put on a brave front, and being Nathan Drake will place him in a similar position as he enters the world of Uncharted as a young man.