--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I went to an ordinary primary school, and…" description: "\"I went to an ordinary primary school, and then I started performing in a show called 'Billy Elliot' on the West End, and that was sort of my drama scho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/tom-holland-3180_billy-elliot_i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and_1190802.jpg" --- # I went to an ordinary primary school, and then I started… ![“I went to an ordinary primary school, and then I started performing in a show called 'Billy Elliot' on the West End, and that was sort of my drama school.” quote by Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/tom-holland-3180_billy-elliot_i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and_1190802.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/tom-holland-3180_billy-elliot_i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and_1190802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/tom-holland-3180_billy-elliot_i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and_1190802.jpg) > “I went to an ordinary primary school, and then I started performing in a show called 'Billy Elliot' on the West End, and that was sort of my drama school.” [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes early acting experience as informal drama education. **In simple terms:** Early performance was his practical training. Key Takeaway Seek real‑world experience early. Themes career learning experience Mood enthusiastic reflective Type career inspirational When to use this quote - theatre workshops - apprenticeships - career mentorship Key Concepts education theory performing arts Questions to Reflect On - What informal experiences shaped your skills? - How can others find similar opportunities? A Different Perspective Formal training may still be needed for mastery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Billy elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billy-elliot/) [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Drama school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama-school/) [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Ordinary Primary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-primary-3533714/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-started-345932/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Performing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-performing/) [Went Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-ordinary-3533715/) ## Related quotes > [I started performing in high school. There was a pretty great drama department at my school, and that's when I started doing plays and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missi-pyle/i-started-performing-in-high-school-there-was-a-pretty-great-drama/) [Missi Pyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missi-pyle/) > [I went to an ordinary school in New York City with no other actors. I learned to compartmentalise different parts of my life. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-shields/i-went-to-an-ordinary-school-in-new-york-city-with-no-other-actors-i/) [Brooke Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-shields/) > [My mom thought I could dance because I used to dance to this Janet Jackson song she'd play when I was a baby. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/my-mom-thought-i-could-dance-because-i-used-to-dance-to-this-janet/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [I always call 'Billy Elliot' a fantasy autobiography because I never wanted to be a dancer, but I got a lot of stick from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hall/i-always-call-billy-elliot-a-fantasy-autobiography-because-i-never/) [Lee Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hall/) > ['Billy Elliot' prides itself on being a family show, and it made sense to specifically cater to a family audience with an earlier evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fellner/billy-elliot-prides-itself-on-being-a-family-show-and-it-made-sense/) [Eric Fellner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fellner/) > [In 'Billy Elliot,' there were, like, 24 kids, so that was crazy. In 'Annie,' there's nine of us; we're all great friends, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilla-crawford/in-billy-elliot-there-were-like-24-kids-so-that-was-crazy-in-annie/) [Lilla Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilla-crawford/) > [I applied to Oxford in the '80s and was invited to an interview. It was like a scene from 'Billy Elliot.' People were making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-applied-to-oxford-in-the-80s-and-was-invited-to-an-interview-it-was/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [In a way, 'Billy Elliot' was autobiographical. I can't dance, but I think his dancing was me discovering about writing and literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hall/in-a-way-billy-elliot-was-autobiographical-i-can-t-dance-but-i-think/) [Lee Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hall/) > ['Billy Elliot' embodies the idea that anyone can achieve anything regardless of their socio-economic background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fellner/billy-elliot-embodies-the-idea-that-anyone-can-achieve-anything/) [Eric Fellner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fellner/) > [A movie that makes me cry every time is 'Billy Elliot.' That scene where he's dancing in the hall, and his dad walks in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-comer/a-movie-that-makes-me-cry-every-time-is-billy-elliot-that-scene-where/) [Jodie Comer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-comer/) > [The fact is, 'Billy Elliot' is an incredible show, for any age and any gender. 'Degrassi' fans would absolutely fall in love with 'Billy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-epstein/the-fact-is-billy-elliot-is-an-incredible-show-for-any-age-and-any/) [Jake Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-epstein/) > [I don't watch any films. Billy Elliot is the only film I've seen in the last 25 years. Oh, and ET. Both of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-sharif/i-don-t-watch-any-films-billy-elliot-is-the-only-film-i-ve-seen-in/) [Omar Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-sharif/) > [Ive been to London twice. I saw the Broadway show Billy Elliot there - phenomenal. I was crying through the entire thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olesya-rulin/ive-been-to-london-twice-i-saw-the-broadway-show-billy-elliot-there/) [Olesya Rulin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olesya-rulin/) > [Look at Greg Jbara! I've watched him work for years, always switching. He's literally a different human being when he's onstage in 'Billy Elliot.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-chase/look-at-greg-jbara-i-ve-watched-him-work-for-years-always-switching/) [Will Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-chase/) > [The idea that the Tony committee and the New York theater community as a whole have embraced 'Billy Elliot' is very, very exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fellner/the-idea-that-the-tony-committee-and-the-new-york-theater-community/) [Eric Fellner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fellner/) ## More by Tom Holland > [When I'm on set, I don't really think about what an audience is going to think about a scene. I'm just thinking about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/when-i-m-on-set-i-don-t-really-think-about-what-an-audience-is-going/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [I've made 'The Pilgrimage' - where I actually had to speak Gaelic - and I was shooting in Belfast as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-ve-made-the-pilgrimage-where-i-actually-had-to-speak-gaelic-and-i/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > ['Civil War' was such a whirlwind, and I didn't really know what was going on. I was thrown into the deep end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/civil-war-was-such-a-whirlwind-and-i-didn-t-really-know-what-was/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [Me and my mates go free running all the time. It's not my mum's favourite sport. I've probably jumped four metres on to grass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/me-and-my-mates-go-free-running-all-the-time-it-s-not-my-mum-s/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [Marvel actually sent me to a school in the Bronx where I had a fake name, and I put on an accent, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/marvel-actually-sent-me-to-a-school-in-the-bronx-where-i-had-a-fake/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [When I was young, my mom realized I could dance and hold a beat, and I really danced just for fun. It was good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/when-i-was-young-my-mom-realized-i-could-dance-and-hold-a-beat-and-i/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [It's definitely a good way to stay in touch with your fans. The main reason I really use Instagram is because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/it-s-definitely-a-good-way-to-stay-in-touch-with-your-fans-the-main/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [There's too much we don't know about the ocean to make me feel comfortable around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/there-s-too-much-we-don-t-know-about-the-ocean-to-make-me-feel/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [Like, 100 percent, I hate spiders. I thought I really liked them, and I learned that was just false. I really can't be around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/like-100-percent-i-hate-spiders-i-thought-i-really-liked-them-and-i/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [“Honour, in the Republic, had never been a goal in itself, only a means to an infinite end. And what was true of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/honour-in-the-republic-had-never-been-a-goal-in-itself-only-a-means/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [I was terrified watching 'Civil War' for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-was-terrified-watching-civil-war-for-the-first-time/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [ “\[T\]he greater the sense of awe with which a text was regarded, the more complete might be the amnesia as to the original circumstances… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/t-he-greater-the-sense-of-awe-with-which-a-text-was-regarded-the-more/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [I have a photographic memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-have-a-photographic-memory/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [I am playing a superhero for kids, and I don't want them to think I'm some dirty fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-am-playing-a-superhero-for-kids-and-i-don-t-want-them-to-think-i-m/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [“The 'ulama', by tightly controlling what went into the history books, were able to propagate an understanding of their own dazzlingly rich and complex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/the-ulama-by-tightly-controlling-what-went-into-the-history-books/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) [Explore all 137 Tom Holland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! 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I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I went to an ordinary primary school, and then I started performing in a show called 'Billy Elliot' on the West End, and that was sort of my drama school.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Holland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and-then-i-started-performing-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and-then-i-started-performing-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/tom-holland-3180_billy-elliot_i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and_1190802.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/tom-holland-3180_billy-elliot_i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and_1190802.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/tom-holland-3180_billy-elliot_i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and_1190802.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I went to an ordinary primary school, and then I started performing in a show called 'Billy Elliot' on the…” — Tom Holland", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Holland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I went to an ordinary primary...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and-then-i-started-performing-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-went-to-an-ordinary-primary-school-and-then-i-started-performing-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```