With two blockbuster films released this year, Tom Holland will be appearing in many places around the world in 2026. On Wednesday morning, the actor appeared in one of the most unexpected places — above a parking garage in the Sherman Oaks Galleria — but for good reason.
His non-alcoholic beer brand, BERO, introduced its second annual Padel Classic, an invitation-only tournament featuring talent from the fields of sports, entertainment and culture. There were Simu Liu, Steve Aoki, Rainn Wilson, Jay Shetty, and Diplo, as well as Holland’s other half, Zendaya, who came to support and star in Peru. “BERO’s whole message is community, connecting with people, friendship and hanging out with each other,” Holland explained. Hollywood Reporter Before the first ball is thrown into the air. “Padel, for me, is one of my favorite sports. I love playing it with my family. I love the social element of it. People who aren’t good at tennis can have a good chance at Padel. I’m really happy to be here today to celebrate BERO and meet some really fun people.”
Before doing so, Holland spent 10 minutes with… THR He talks about his label BERO, how it affected his sobriety and how he’s gearing up to release two huge blockbusters back to back this summer.
Speaking of celebrating, I heard BERO launched a new bottle?
I love the new bottle. When we first launched the company and talked about can design and other details, I was always really hungry to get a glass bottle out there. For logistical reasons beyond my range of skills, it was much more difficult than we had previously anticipated. Getting the bottles here today is very exciting. Neha Soi, our COO, is an absolute wizard. She’s unbelievable. The fact that she was able to accomplish this within the time frame she was given is truly incredible.
The bottle design is elegant and simple. Really amazing. Is this your input?
My biggest involvement with the company is marketing and branding. I really wanted to create something that didn’t scream non-alcoholic. With a lot of companies that do not produce alcoholic drinks, their bottles are blue and this is their way of indicating that it is a non-alcoholic beer. As a non-drinker, I found the spotlight at the bar sometimes a bit overwhelming. My plan for BERO was to create something that people could drink at the bar with all their mates, who might be drinking full-strength beer, and not feel like they were standing out for the wrong reasons.
How has having your own brand impacted your sobriety journey?
It was incredibly helpful. There’s definitely a two birds, one stone situation here, which is that I love the product, I love the brand, and I love the people I work with. But it also helped me stay grounded because our whole ethos is authenticity. It would be incredibly inauthentic if I were trying to sell non-alcoholic beer while also drinking myself. It’s a great campaign for me to stay sober. With each passing day, it gets easier and easier, but I am so grateful to the company, for the support they have given me in my journey to sobriety.
I like it. How has your life changed after you got sober?
I’m just a better version of myself. I am clear and I am able to work harder. I think I’m doing a better job. I think I deal with things that go wrong at work in a more gentle way, and I can handle these things calmly and not allow myself to get flustered. I’m someone who likes to panic a lot – or used to – and since quitting drinking and having such a level of sanity through my entire experience, I’ve found myself able to manage things a lot better.
This is impressive. Let’s talk padel. How often do you play?
So admittedly, I haven’t played padel in a long time. I’ve been very busy. I was very lucky last year to do that Odyssey and Spider-Man Go back. I didn’t really want to get injured while working, and when I row, I like to go at 100% which means I’m very, very vulnerable to rolling an ankle or something like that. So I was very careful. But now that I won’t be shooting for the rest of the year, I’m really excited to get back into it.
Padel vs. pickleball?
Paddle all day long. I love pickles, and I play with Zendaya’s mom a lot, which I really enjoy. But I think the pickle for me lacks the power that the padel has. In padel, you can really slap. And I like that padel seems more in line with tennis. I love tennis, but I’m not a very good tennis player. So, I think Padel gives me that little kid’s dream of playing tennis at a high level, and I love that. We have some great professionals here today, and I love watching them play. It’s a different game when they play, and it’s a lot of fun to see.
Let’s talk about your big year before promoting those two big movies. Promoting the film includes all these social segments, podcasts, and new platforms. When you sit down with your team to map out how to handle all of this, how do you decide what you should do and what you want to do?
I like the way it’s changed because I think we’ve created an environment where people promoting films can be more authentic with their personality. It feels more personal now in a really nice way. I’m someone who really protects my personal life at all costs, but I would always trade a podcast with a really fun host for sitting in a hotel room and doing a hundred interviews in one day. However, these games can be really fun too. When it’s Zendaya and Jacob [Batalon] And I do interviews together, and it’s always ridiculous. But, yeah, I like the way it’s changed and it’s really fun. We have to be more strategic and plan ahead a lot more. I have amazing advertising [Cara Tripicchio] Who takes care of me better than anyone else. I am so grateful to her and her team.
The press tour we’re about to go on is huge. I won’t lie and say that I’m not afraid of the travel and the number of events we will attend. But one of the things I love, especially for Spider-Man, is that the movie is about community. All of these stops that we do, we work in cultural events, community events, and there will be charitable components. When you can promote a film but also highlight amazing causes, that’s what really makes a difference.
How does it feel to return to Spider-Man now. It’s been a few years and I feel like everyone has missed Peter Parker…
It is very strange to return to it. We all lived through the Covid crisis and it was a time when there were no press tours. All press stuff was done via Zoom or in the city I was in. It’s been a while since I’ve done a full press tour and I’m actually pretty excited. All the people I’ve made films with, I love and admire, are at the top of their game, and are people I can learn from. I’m excited to go on a press tour for Odyssey With Matt Damon, learn from him and watch the way he moves. And Chris is such a visionary director. What I love about Chris is that his involvement is not limited to just making the film. He oversees every creative piece we do for press and promotion. It’s really interesting to see what one of the greatest living directors does on set and then what he does on the press tour. Both films are absolutely fantastic and couldn’t be more different. I feel really lucky that they’re going to be out when they are, and it’s going to be a great summer.
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A wonderful summer is coming: Nolan Odyssey Opens July 17, while Destin Daniel Cretton’s opens Spider-Man: A Brand New Day Opens July 31st.
