Tom Holland almost performed Britney Spears’ “Oops I Did It Again” on Lip Sync Battle instead of Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” In May 2017 when the episode premiered, Holland was working to promote his then-upcoming first solo superhero movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, after making his initial Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. The Spider-Man actor had been chosen as Marvel Studios’ Peter Parker after an extensive casting search, and one aspect of Holland’s experience that endeared him to fans was his physicality. The actor has a background in dance, having starred in Billy Elliot the Musical, and, prior to his MCU casting, often posted videos to social media of himself jumping and flipping much like Marvel’s wall-crawler.

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It was as part of the long promotional tour for Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s July 2017 release that Holland appeared on Lip Sync Battle, facing off against his co-star Zendaya, who plays Michelle “MJ” Jones in the Marvel franchise. In the season 3 episode, Holland and Zendaya battled it out, lip syncing along to the songs Nelly’s “Ride Wit Me,” Erykah Badu’s “Tyrone” and Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic.” But it was Holland’s performance of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” that stole the show. The clip quickly went viral online, and is regularly shared on social media sites even now. However, the actor came close to performing an entirely different song and routine.

In Ashley Spencer’s oral history of Holland’s Lip Sync Battle performance for Insider, in honor of the episode’s four-year anniversary, the creatives involved in the number spoke about how it all came together. According to a creative brief viewed by Insider, Lip Sync Battle’s producers had a backup song prepared if they couldn’t secure the rights to use Rhianna’s “Umbrella,” and that song was “Oops I Did It Again” by Britney Spears. The backup number would’ve had Holland dressed in a red latex jumpsuit, like the one worn by Spears in the song’s music video, and even featured a cameo from the singer herself as an astronaut – another callback to the music video. According to costume designer Jeanie Cheek, they even had costumes prepared:

We actually created two different sets of costumes for him and all of the dancers. Just in case “Umbrella” didn’t go through, we had a backup performance.

However, “Umbrella” was the producers’ first choice for Holland’s performance, and it was ultimately approved by the publisher to be used on Lip Sync Battle. The performance has since become arguably the most famous Lip Sync Battle number or, at least, the most enduring of the competition show’s many viral moments, and Holland is often asked to comment on the experience. His Spider-Man co-stars even get in on the fun sometimes, like when Ned Leeds actor Jacob Batalon wore a hoodie honoring Holland’s “Umbrella” dance. It’s unclear if the actor’s Lip Sync Battle performance would’ve had such a lasting effect on pop culture if he’d done “Oops I Did It Again” in a red jumpsuit – but it’s entirely possible. After all, what makes “Umbrella” so beloved is Holland’s enthusiastic performance and celebration of Rhianna’s popular song, which he likely could’ve pulled off with Spears’ song too.

Although we may never get to see Holland suit up in a red latex jumpsuit and lip sync to Spears’ “Oops I Did It Again,” the actor is set to return as Spider-Man later this year in Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. The actor will once again bring his physicality to the role of Peter Parker, as indicated in a photo Holland posted with his Spider-Man trainer, though it’s unlikely he’ll perform any dance routines. But considering Holland kicked off his first Spidey promo tour with an appearance on Lip Sync Battle, perhaps Sony could find another fun way for the actor promote Spider-Man: No Way Home. And if it includes “Oops I Did It Again” in some fashion, that would be all the better.

Source: Insider

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Molly Freeman
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Molly Freeman is the lead news editor of Screen Rant and one of Screen Rant’s Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved movie critics. She’s been writing for Screen Rant since 2014 and has appeared on the Total Geekall podcast. Previously, she’s written entertainment news for Bustle and had personal essays published on HelloGiggles and Femsplain.

A graduate of Ithaca College’s Journalism program, Molly originally planned to be a music journalist before moving into entertainment journalism after spending so much of her downtime binge-watching all manner of movies and TV during her formative years. Still, she enjoys every chance to put her music and musical theater knowledge to good use, particularly when it intersects with her love of superhero movies.

Beyond that, Molly spends her free time reading young adult and romance novels, rooting for the New York Rangers hockey team (LGR!) and going out to brunch. Follow Molly on Twitter and Instagram @mollyrockit, or contact her directly: molly(at)screenrant(dot)com.

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