For many fans, Tom Holland’s most unforgettable moment didn’t happen on a blockbuster movie screen, but on the stage of Lip Sync Battle in 2017, where he competed head-to-head with his Spider-Man co-star Zendaya. His electrifying performance of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” complete with dramatic rain effects, a cropped wig, and fishnet stockings, became an instant internet sensation.
But as Holland recently revealed during an appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s YouTube series, that now-iconic moment came at the cost of a personal agreement he had made with Zendaya. The two, who were already close at the time and are now engaged, had originally promised to keep their performances low-key.
“It’s so funny,” Holland recalled. “Zendaya and I were chatting about what we were going to do, and we both agreed to keep it chill. That was the deal — no going over the top.”
However, as rehearsals progressed, Holland admitted that things slowly spiraled into something much more theatrical. The creative team kept raising the bar with new ideas, and soon, what began as a laid-back routine transformed into a full-blown production. The end result? A jaw-dropping medley of “Singing in the Rain” and “Umbrella” that saw Holland donning a leotard and dancing in the rain with impressive choreography.
“And at some point, I was like, ‘F–k it. I want the wig, I want the quick change, I want to wear fishnets,’” Holland laughed, even revealing to Ramsay that the fishnets were actually his grandmother’s.
Tom Holland Had to Break a Promise to Zendaya to Deliver His Iconic ‘Lip Sync Battle’ Performance, but as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one who did. Zendaya also broke their pact, surprising Holland and the audience with her own show-stopping routine set to Bruno Mars’ “24k Magic,” complete with flashy moves and undeniable stage presence.
Looking back, Holland is proud of how the performance allowed fans to see a completely different side of him. “What was really great about that is people didn’t know that I could dance,” he shared. Long before donning the Spider-Man suit, Holland had already honed his stage skills starring in Billy Elliot the Musical on London’s West End. “I kept that quiet for some reason. But I came out with a bang.”
To this day, that performance continues to go viral—an unforgettable example of how breaking the rules can sometimes lead to magic.
Watch the full Lip Sync Battle performance and relive the moment that turned Tom Holland into a global pop culture icon.
