Spider-Man star 'petrified' of cue cards

Tom Holland has revealed that he’s turned down the chance to host Saturday Night Live because of his dyslexia.

The Spider-Man star says he’s a fan of the NBC show and has been asked ‘a few times’ to host – but is ‘petrified’ of having to read his lines from cue cards.

‘I’m heavily dyslexic, which is one of the reasons why… I’ve never done SNL,’ he told former cast member Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast. 

‘I’m just so petrified at the concept of, like, trying to read something and they change.’

Poehler said many dyslexics have hosted the show overs its 51years but  Holland explained: ‘It’s just that, for me, I can read fine. But when I have to read out loud, it just becomes, a kind of… it’s like a mental block, and I can freeze.

‘So, for me, my worst day at work is the read-through. At the read-through, I will really try and highlight everything and learn my lines ahead of time, so that I’m more kind of skimming it than I am reading

‘I’ve been really lucky that they’ve asked me a few times to do it [SNL] and the truth is that I’m actually just really scared at the prospect—I love the show, and I love the idea of having fun and making a fool of yourself in such a fun, creative way. It’s just that thing of the cue cards…’

Poehler added: ‘You have to remember, there have been people that have hosted who have been fully on drugs – so I think you can do it.’

Published: 4 Jun 2026