No matter how much time you work in Hollywood, no matter how big you get, rejection will always be a big part of the business. Even when you get famous, you're still hearing the rejections at a much higher level.

Take this story from Tom Holland. He recently gave an interview in Total Film (via Games Radar), where he talked about pitching on James Bond. 

Holland said, “I had a meeting, after or during Spider-Man 2 [Far From Home], with Sony to pitch this idea of a young Bond film that I’d come up with. It was the origin story of James Bond. It didn’t really make sense. It didn’t work. It was the dream of a young kid, and I don’t think the Bond estate were particularly interested.”

But what came from that failure was getting Tom on Sony's radar as someone who could be more than just Spider-Man. And it got them thinking of their Uncharted project that was on the shelf. Maybe there was a new way in.

So they went back to the drawing board. What if they brought a younger Tom into the mix to be next to Mark Wahlberg's character? 

Holland continued, “The idea of a young Bond film sparked this idea, in turn, that you could do a Nathan Drake story as an origin story, rather than as an addition to the games. And that opened a conversation.”

Now, Holland is in this big movie thanks to his bold move. 

Have you ever taken a swing like that and landed somewhere you didn't think? So much of this business is just putting yourself out there and trying to see who embraces not just your vision, but your personality and collaboration. I can safely say some of my best friends came from execs liking the writing but not the project, and one time I pitched a movie that was passed on in the room, but they offered me a different project instead. 

Keep pitching and keep taking those bog swings. 

Uncharted is directed by Ruben Fleischer and stars Holland, Antonio Banderas, and Mark Wahlberg. It debuts on Feb. 18, 2022, in the U.S.

Let us know what you think in the comments. 

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