Hollywood actor Tom Holland has finally spoken about one of the internet’s most talked-about celebrity ghosting stories. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote The Odyssey, the actor recalled how Norwegian football star Erling Haaland never replied to the dinner invitation he had sent. Looking back at the incident, Tom laughed it off and admitted it was a humbling experience.
Tom Holland recalls being ghosted by Erling Haaland
Responding to the now-viral ghosting story on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon while promoting The Odyssey, Tom Holland admitted that he was the one who reached out to the Manchester City and Norway striker. Laughing at the awkward memory, he said, “I’ll tell you what. That is exactly the type of humbling experience that is important for actors”.
Explaining what happened, Tom joked, “You know, you’re like, ‘I’ll text him, I’ll take him to dinner’. Not even a response.” He added, “Not an excuse, not ‘I’m busy tonight. I’m playing football’. Nada.”
Tom then recalled spotting Haaland during the Monaco Grand Prix and deciding to take a chance. “I was at Monaco. I was watching Lewis [Hamilton] race, and I saw him. He was like a hospitality suite across from me, and I just thought I’d shoot my shot. [I] send him a text. I never imagined I’d talk about it on live television, but here we are.”
Even after being ignored, Tom had nothing but praise for the football star, saying, “He’s incredible. I mean, he’s an absolute legend.”
Why Erling Haaland ignored Tom Holland’s message
The story first grabbed attention when Erling Haaland revealed why Tom Holland’s dinner invitation never got a reply. The Manchester City and Norway striker admitted he ignored the message simply because he didn’t know who had sent it.
Speaking on the Norwegian show A Laget, the 25-year-old footballer said, “This is a bit embarrassing, to be completely honest. We were in Monaco at the Formula 1, and then I got a message. I don’t watch movies much, so I have no idea who people are. There was one asking if we could go out for dinner, but I’d never seen him, so I didn’t bother to answer. I didn’t want to answer an unknown person.”
It wasn’t until later that Haaland realised the message had come from the Spider-Man star. Laughing at the mix-up, he admitted he had completely forgotten about it and said, “I think I’ll have to send him a message now. I’d completely forgotten about it.”
Tom Holland gears up for The Odyssey
Tom Holland is now gearing up for the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a big-screen adaptation of Homer’s legendary Greek epic. The film follows King Odysseus (Matt Damon) as he fights monsters, mythical creatures and impossible challenges during his ten-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Alongside the action, the story also explores the enduring bond between Odysseus and his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway).
Tom plays Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, and shares the screen with Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron and Samantha Morton. Interestingly, several actors reportedly signed on to the project before even knowing which roles they would be playing, simply because they wanted to work with Christopher Nolan.
The Odyssey arrives in theatres worldwide on July 17, 2026, and will be released in premium formats including IMAX 2D and 4DX. In India, the film has been cleared by the censor board without any cuts and has received an A certificate.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also on the way
Tom Holland is also gearing up to slip back into the Spider-Man suit with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film picks up four years after Spider-Man: No Way Home and follows Peter Parker as he tries to navigate everyday life while protecting New York in a world where no one remembers who he is.
Joining Holland are Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Michael Mando as Scorpion and Tramell Tillman as William “Bill” Metzger of the DODC. Sadie Sink also joins the film in an undisclosed role, with fans already busy guessing who she could be playing.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will hit Indian theatres on July 30, 2026, in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada, before releasing worldwide on July 31.