As we first reported earlier today, Spider-Man: Brand New Day star Tom Holland has partnered with LEGO for a fun new commercial, "Never Stop Playing" (if you missed it, you can watch it here).
IGN caught up with the actor and asked what the importance of play means to him. In a surprisingly candid response, Holland revealed that he's been diagnosed with ADHD and is also dyslexic.
"I think it really does help," he said of play. "I have ADHD and I'm dyslexic, and I find sometimes when someone gives me a blank canvas that it can be slightly intimidating. And sometimes you are met with those challenges when developing a character."
"So any way that you can, as a young person or as an adult, interact with something that forces you to be creative and forces you to think outside the box and make changes that might be in an instruction manual or might not be in an instruction manual just promotes healthy creativity," Holland continued. "And I think that the more we do that sort of stuff, the better."
For those of you who may not be aware, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by persistent inattention, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity that interferes with daily functioning. It affects focus, organisation, and self-control, often starting in childhood and potentially continuing into adulthood. Dyslexia, meanwhile, is a learning disorder causing difficulty with reading and writing.
He was also asked to share his fondest memory of LEGO, and revealed that it's tied to his first solo outing as Peter Parker in the MCU. In 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, Ned discovers Spidey's secret and drops—and shatters–his LEGO Death Star as a result.
"I think my favorite memory of LEGO would be Spider-Man: Homecoming," Holland recalled. "Jacob and I were becoming fast friends and our lives were being flipped upside down. And there's that fantastic scene where Ned drops the LEGO Death Star and we were tasked by the studio to build one ourselves."
"I just remember having really fond memories of sitting down with Jacob in my house, getting to know each other at the very beginning of this crazy journey. And it was rooted in making this LEGO Death Star, and we finished it."
"Our friend's mom ended up helping us at one point, and I don't think it is the one in the movie because they needed it to break in a certain way — so they built it without some of its infrastructure so that it would shatter better," he added. "But I remember that being a very, very poignant and fantastic time in that process."
In a separate interview with Barron's, Holland reflected on recently suiting up as the web-slinger to shoot his role in next summer's Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
"I was on top of a tank driving down the high street in Glasgow, in front of thousands of fans and it was awesome. It was so incredible, it was exciting and exhilarating and it felt fresh."
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings helmer Destin Daniel Cretton directs Spider-Man: Brand New Day from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Tom Holland leads a cast that also includes Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Michael Mando, Tramell Tillman, and Liza Colón-Zayas. Thunderbolts* star Florence Pugh is also rumoured to have joined the cast.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.