With a 10-year wait for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, it’s arguably not surprising that some actors weren’t available to reprise their roles. Tom Holland was one of those actors.
Before the world of the Avengers and Spider-Man, Tom Holland took on the role of Gregory Cromwell, the only son of Thomas Cromwell. You can see him in shots of Anne Boleyn’s execution clearly, which is what reminded many people of him being in the role.
Why isn’t Tom Holland in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
Gregory is a part of the sequel series. After all, Cromwell’s son was still alive after Cromwell’s own execution — look, real history is not a spoiler! He would end up dying in 1551 from the sweating sickness, though, so it’s not surprising that the series has focused more on Rafe Sadler rather than Gregory in this sequel series.
Why wasn’t Holland welcomed back in the role? There’s nothing to say that he wasn’t, but that his schedule probably didn’t allow for it. Work on Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light started back in 2022. Guess what Holland was doing back then? He was working on the Spider-Man movies, so I’m sure we can all guess why he couldn’t make it back for this sequel series.
MORE: How many episodes are in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light?
Who plays the new Gregory Cromwell in Wolf Hall?
The role went to Charlie Rowe in a recast, and there is an interesting Holland connection outside of this specific role. According to Radio Times, Rowe went up against Holland (and Asa Butterfield!) for the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man. Instead, Holland got Peter Parker, and Rowe ended up taking on the Wolf Hall character.
It will be interesting to see how the series handles Gregory’s story from this point. Being the son of someone who ends up executed for treason leads to a lot of financial and housing issues, but Gregory escapes some problems.
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light airs on Sundays at 9/8c on PBS.
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