(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
You may already know the name Tom Holland, but get ready to get to know his younger brother, Harry Holland, who is also starting to emerge on the scene as a promising talent to watch.
Harry recently premiered his latest short film, Last Call, at the Sands International Film Festival in St Andrews, Scotland, and received rave reviews on opening night. As reported by
Deadline : ‘The audience at The Byre Theatre in St Andrews was enthralled by the short film, with many visitors commenting on its ambition and talent after the screening.’ The site then went on to compare the 19-minute short to the much-lauded British drama All of Us Strangers .
The film centres on a mother desperate to reconnect with her son, with veteran Lindsay Duncan and Spider-Man star Holland playing the pair. But Harry says he didn’t originally intend to cast his brother in the role. In fact, after the original actor had to leave the project, Harry considered scrapping the entire project – but Tom stepped in and saved the day, giving Harry the impetus to continue on a project that was very personal to him, as he came up with the idea for Last Call while struggling with his own mental health issues.
As he shared with Mytour+ in a chat at the festival: ‘We had some problems with some of the actors and my friend ended up playing Charlie [Holland’s character]. But a few weeks before shooting, he called me and said he had done a TV show and had to pull out. I was so nervous about doing the film and I almost thought, at that point I’m not going to do this anymore, I was just so scared. And then Tom was like a big brother and said, ‘I’m going to take over and do this for you and for myself’. And so, that was the best thing for the film because I couldn’t have imagined having two more actors to support and guide me through the process, because they were so generous and patient. I’m so grateful to Tom and it wouldn’t have been possible without him. He really saved the film.’
(Photo courtesy of Meraki Films)
But what was it like directing your own sibling – especially one who has worked with such accomplished directors as JA Bayona (on The Impossible) and the Russo Brothers (on a number of projects including Avengers: Endgame)? Harry openly admits that Tom sometimes offered advice while on set, but it was something he appreciated: ‘I’m not afraid to admit that at times Tom gave me direction on how to direct him. It was a great crash course in this world for me.
Continuing, Holland also revealed that directing his younger brother finally helped him realise how talented he was: ‘It sounds silly when I say this, but I couldn’t believe how good he was. And I say that in terms of his ability and his relationship with the camera – I was really impressed! So I was so grateful to have such a special relationship with him to see that in person, which sounds silly because I’ve worked with him on set so many times. I think the key word I’m looking for is probably I’m so proud of him. He brought his talent and his ability to my film, and ultimately, the film wouldn’t have been the same without him.’
Although Last Call has yet to be released internationally, Holland is already planning his next project – which will be his first feature-length film. For any director, the transition from short to feature is a daunting one, but one that the young filmmaker is excited about, as he concludes: ‘I’m working on my first feature-length project at the moment with my writing partner Will South. It’s an exciting experience but also a scary one – it’s a different kind of anxiety than trying to make a feature film, the pressure is a bit higher. It’s the next step, but I don’t know where it’s going to take me.’
‘For me, success would just be having this as my job. Not everyone gets the chance to do their dream job and make a living. I’ve known I wanted to do this since I was 12 and I’ve been very lucky to have found my path in life. So at the end of the day, if I can tell stories for a living, I’ll be very happy.’
Last Call screened at the Sands International Film Festival – no official release is currently planned.
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