Tom Holland has revealed that Erling Haaland ignored a dinner invitation he sent at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, in a story that has been doing the rounds since the actor’s appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.
Holland explained he spotted the Manchester City striker in a hospitality suite while watching Lewis Hamilton race, and decided to send him a message. The reply never came. “Not even a response,” Holland told Fallon, adding it was exactly the type of humbling experience that is important for actors.
The mystery was solved when Haaland gave his own account of events on Norwegian talk show A Laget. The striker admitted he simply didn’t recognise the sender — by his own admission, he doesn’t follow film closely enough to know who Holland is — and assumed the message had come from a stranger, so left it unanswered. Now aware of his mistake, Haaland says he intends to get in touch and put things right.
It’s a lighter footnote to what has otherwise been a heavy few weeks for Haaland, whose Norway side were eliminated from the World Cup at the quarter-final stage by England. Despite that exit, he’s said he’ll be cheering England on for the remainder of the tournament, having supported them as a boy growing up.
For City fans, it’s a reminder of just how far Haaland’s global profile now stretches — recognisable enough to be mistaken for one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, yet seemingly unaware of who was doing the recognising.
Whether that promised dinner with Holland ever actually happens remains to be seen. Given Haaland’s World Cup is now over and pre-season looms, he may finally have the time to make good on it.
