Which Tom Holland is which?

Actors getting confused for one another is nothing new, this often happens when they bear a resemblance to each other but on the rare occasion it can be because of a mix-up with their names as has been revealed to be the case for Tom Holland and Tom Hollander.

Hollander recently revealed on Late Night with Seth Meyers that he was accidentally given a box office bonus meant for Marvel star Tom Holland for one of the Avengers films. Holland plays Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but in a surprise turn of events it was Hollander who received the cheque.

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"It was an astonishing amount of money. It was not his salary. It was his first box office bonus. Not the whole box office bonus, the first one," he explained on the talk show. "And it was more money than I'd ever [seen]. It was a seven-figure sum."

The actor went on to explain that he has been confused for the younger actor on a number of occasions, much to the disappointment of people's children. He shared: "I'm [sometimes] introduced to somebody's very, very excited, then confused, then disappointed children."

Hollander jokingly added, "It's been very difficult. Because, you know, I was here first." And that sentiment is understandable, especially when it's apparently so easy for some people to confuse the two actors — not to mention the fact there are other Tom Hollands in completely different fields entirely.

So the question now remains, which Tom Holland is which?

Tom Holland - The Marvel star

Since being cast as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tom Holland has seen his star rise exponentially and his status as a superhero has brought him global fame. It's made him the actor to pick for big-budget blockbusters (aside from Timothée Chalamet) thanks to the huge fanbase he's gained.

The 27-year-old actor is likely most recognisable to Gen-Z, who will know him mainly for his appearance in three Spider-Man films, two Avengers films, and his Marvel debut in Captain America: Civil War where he captured the hearts of Marvel fans with his sweet, awkward depiction of the webslinger. People may also well know him because of his relationship with Zendaya, his on-screen MJ.

Holland and Zendaya are one of the it couples of the moment, and their adorable romance is often a topic of conversation amongst the public. This is especially thanks to the fact that they speak so well about each other in the media, and they are often photographed looking lovingly at each other on the red carpet or at events like Paris Fashion Week.

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The actor has started to step out of the Marvel bubble in recent years, showing his acting talent in an array of projects like Cherry and The Crowded Room. He has also proven his status as a leading man with his performance in Uncharted, in which he took on the role of Nathan Drake opposite Mark Wahlberg.

Tom Hollander - The White Lotus star

This brings us to Tom Hollander, the actor who was mistakenly confused for Holland in quite probably the best way possible. Hollander has worked in the industry for some time, making his onscreen acting debut in 1981 and starring in British classics like Absolutely Fabulous and Maybe Baby.

Hollander has a remarkable body of work behind him, like 2005's Pride and Prejudice —for which he has become a meme for his delivery of the line "what lovely boiled potatoes" as Mr Collins— or his repeated turns as Cutler Beckett in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise. For those that prefer their dramas, Hollander has appeared in hits like The Night Manager and The White Lotus, and he will soon appear in Feud: Capote vs The Swans as renowned author Truman Capote.

To cut a long story short, you've likely seen Hollander onscreen before — so prolific and varied is his filmography. But he is also seen as a bit of a national treasure thanks to his sharp wit, which he often relies on in interviews but most memorably he used in his column for The Sunday Times called A Life in the Day which has gone viral on a number of occasions.

Read more: Who is starring in The White Lotus season 3?

In his column, Hollander has preferred a tongue-in-cheek approach to the memoir, choosing not to focus on the glamours of Hollywood life but to share a grounded, often hilarious, look at the life he leads. His observations have ranged from him discussing his nightly toilet habits, to his discovery that he most looks like Tom Hardy.

So, what's the best was to remember Hollander then? Well maybe just think of him as the actor who knows how to tell a good joke who has, probably, starred in your favourite shows and films. Also, their surnames are spelt differently — easy.

Tom Holland - The Director

The entertainment industry doesn't have just one Tom Holland, oh no, there are two. The second is a US director and screenwriter whose work include the 1983 sequel to Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock's classic. Holland, also directed and co-wrote the first Child's Play film in 1988, and is well known for making the cult horror comedy Fright Night.

More so than Hollander's mix-up, getting confused between Holland and the Marvel actor is understandable. The best way to remember the difference between the 80-year-old director and actor is, perhaps, to think that one's career revolves around horror while the other is a mainstay of the superhero genre — though that isn't to say Holland, the actor, won't delve into horror more in future.

Tom Holland - The Historian

Then there is Tom Holland the historian, who has written a number of books on subjects like medieval history and the origin of Islam. As well as write books, the author has fronted several historical programmes including Channel 4 documentaries on ISIS and Islam.

The best way to tell the difference between this Tom Holland and the others is this — when you head to a bookstore and see the name know that he's not the actor, nor the director, or even the Night Manager star, he is the historian.

Watch the trailer for Madame Web, the latest Sony Spider-Man universe film: