Tom Holland, Taylour Paige, Rachel Brosnahan and more star in W Magazine’s 2021 Best Performances Portfolio.
The issue, which honours the stars at the forefront of cinema, also includes Jared Leto, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jonathan Majors, Jacob Elordi, Leslie Odom Jr., Maria Bakalova and Steven Yeun.
Holland speaks out about his first cinematic crush in the accompanying interview, telling the publication: “Emma Watson in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’. She wears this pink dress. That was mind-blowing for me.”
RELATED: Tom Holland Says He Has ‘No Idea’ What New ‘Spider-Man’ Film Is About
He goes on to say of his first auditions: “When I was 8 or 9, I auditioned for every role in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, including Juliet, and I didn’t get a single part.
“When I was 11, I booked ‘Billy Elliot’; that was the first job I ever booked. I couldn’t dance, but trainers would come to my school and teach me to dance at lunch. I was at a rugby school, so doing ballet in tights in the school gym wasn’t the coolest of things to do, but it paid off.”
Paige discusses her first nude scene in “Zola” in her interview: “It was scary, but also liberating. We all have boobs. We all take showers. We all have sex. We all want to thrive. And we all want to survive. Those are my characters!”
RELATED: Tom Holland Auditioned For John Boyega’s ‘Star Wars’ Role: ‘That Wasn’t My Best Moment’
She adds of working at a strip club to prepare for the role, “I worked at Crazy Girls on Sunset for a month. Honestly, it was harder to get a job than you’d think. Through a friend, I met the owner, and he was like, ‘Stand up, turn around. All right, come in on Monday, and we’ll see how you do.’
“At first, when I tried the pole, I was terrible — like Bambi on ice. But I got better. I learned to be smart and strategic. The girls teach you—look at his watch, look at his shoes. He’s not spending any money. He’s been standing there all night. It’s a business. And I really did need the money; I was in the lowest low, sleeping on friends’ couches. My car blew up, and I could barely afford my stripper’s outfit.”
Brosnahan tells the mag of her biggest fears: “I feel like I’m scared all the time! I’m scared of drowning. I’m scared of the dark. I don’t like spiders or cockroaches or mice.”
She shares of getting into character for “I’m Your Woman” and being blonde in the film: “The movie takes place in the ’70s, and we wanted to make sure I could disappear into the character of Jean. Also, blonde is my natural hair colour, and I’d never been blonde onscreen. It seemed like a fun way to transform.”
