Olympic Gold Medalist Tom Daley on His New Documentary, Being a ‘Sounding Board’ for Closeted Queer Athletes and Why Tom Holland Should Play Him in a Movie

Discovering Queer Freedom

Tom Daley remembers his first visit to a gay bar with striking clarity. The Olympic gold medal-winning diver was just 19 years old at that significant moment, which happened the night before he publicly came out in a heartfelt YouTube video. “There was this incredibly tall drag queen towering above everyone, and all around me were people simply existing with complete freedom,” Daley, now 31, vividly recounts during today’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. He describes his powerful reaction: “I remember thinking, ‘This entire world where you can just fully be yourself without constantly worrying about who might be watching felt absolutely incredible.’ That experience directly transformed my mindset from feeling scared about coming out to becoming genuinely excited about living openly and caring much less about other people’s potential judgments.”

Supporting Closeted Athletes

Since that pivotal night, Daley has actively embraced his identity without hesitation. Consequently, he regularly receives messages from other queer athletes worldwide, many still struggling in the closet. “These individuals often express deep uncertainty about what steps to take next or how to safely navigate their situation,” Daley explains. He emphasizes the critical variation in experiences: “Obviously, choosing to come out in certain countries presents a vastly different and potentially dangerous reality compared to doing so in relatively safer places like the U.K. or the U.S.” Understanding this isolation, Daley offers consistent support: “I always reassure them that I’m available as a confidential sounding board precisely because going through this process alone can feel overwhelmingly lonely.”

Documenting His Journey

Daley’s multifaceted life story is now captured in the revealing new documentary titled “Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds.” This film comprehensively traces his path from childhood in the U.K. through his intense athletic career competing across multiple Olympic Games. Much more importantly, that line of victory exposes him as the one never giving up and sticking with his dream until the end, a success that was characterized by the opening of the door to the gold medal in 2020. Meanwhile, the film pays particular attention to his deep sorrow caused by the death of his father in his adolescence. Finally, it offers glimpses into his current family life in Los Angeles, where he resides happily with his husband, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, and their two young sons.

Preserving Legacy Through Film

Initially, Daley felt uncertain about participating in such a personal documentary project. “I wasn’t entirely sure about doing it at first,” he admits regarding the film, currently available for viewing on Discovery+ and Olympics.com. However, his perspective shifted meaningfully: “Then I realized, ‘You know what? This documentary will become a precious gift I can share with my children years from now.'” He envisioned showing them and saying, “‘Look, this is what Papa dedicated his life to. This is the relentless training and competition Papa pursued day after day.'” Moreover, he valued preserving deeper personal history: “It captures the things I accomplished and, importantly, helps them understand the close relationship I cherished with my dad and all those formative experiences.”

Father’s Legacy in Parenting

During the documentary filming process, Daley reveals he most frequently requested breaks whenever director Vaughan Sivell presented archival footage featuring interactions with his late father. “I consciously model significant aspects of my parenting style and numerous daily choices around core principles I learned directly from my dad,” Daley explains emotionally. He emphasizes his father’s unwavering support: “He stood as my biggest cheerleader without fail. He physically attended every single training session, never missed any competition, and fundamentally shaped my daily existence through his constant, loving presence.”

Processing Public Grief

“I still remember his death as one of the most distressing things that ever happened to me,” Daley recalls, showing us the torment he went through. He goes on to add, “In addition to this private disaster, I also fought the deep sorrow in a series of paparazzi cases inside the UK media.” Consequently, reviewing those historical clips proved deeply challenging. “Watching that footage now evokes immense sympathy for my younger self—I recognize how I essentially just pushed forward while masking my pain behind a brave facade.” Daley admits he avoided burdening others: “I deliberately never shared the depth of my feelings because I desperately didn’t want to risk making anyone else feel uncomfortable.” He hopes the documentary conveys a crucial message: “If there’s one vital takeaway, I truly wish viewers understand that leaning on others for genuine support isn’t weakness; it’s profoundly okay and necessary.”

Confronting Body Image Pressures

Separately, Daley openly discusses his ongoing struggle with body image issues, tracing their origin to a pivotal comment during his diving career. Someone observed that his physique was visibly changing, noting he appeared less lean and toned than his peak athletic form. “Honestly, I still actively wrestle with these insecurities today,” Daley confesses. “My lifestyle shifted dramatically—from rigorously training six hours daily, six days per week, to now living in retirement. Naturally, public perception adds pressure; people instinctively retain fixed expectations about how an Olympian should appear physically.” He describes the dual challenge: “This transition creates considerable mental strain while simultaneously demanding practical adaptation. Essentially, I’m learning to embrace my current self, redefining my fitness routine and reassessing dietary boundaries without past extremes.”

Embracing a New Reality

Daley confirms he continuously works toward accepting his present physical state, though it requires conscious effort. “Logically, I understand my body functions perfectly well and looks absolutely fine,” he states rationally. “Nevertheless, a persistent part of me fixates on that memory—recalling precisely how I looked as an Olympic athlete performing at my absolute peak, and remembering the grueling discipline required to achieve that physique.” He acknowledges the emotional difficulty: “Facing the probable reality that I may never resemble that version of myself again presents an ongoing psychological challenge requiring daily self-compassion and adjustment.”

A movie about Tom Daley’s life is being made and he was asked whom he would like to be portrayed by. Tom Daley firmly admitted Tom Holland would be the one he’d choose. This was backed up by Daley, who mentioned that Holland had innate athletic abilities and added, “He’s got the gymnastic vibe.” Furthermore, Daley feels a strong similarity exists between himself and the actor in terms of their physicality and movement. Consequently, he firmly believes, “So I reckon Tom Holland could maybe do that.”

Husband’s Ideal Actor

Then, the chat went on to the subject of the actor who Darren’s husband, Dustin Lance Black, an incredible writer who was awarded the Original Screenplay Oscar for “Milk” in 2009, might be. The young actor beamed at the idea of his husband’s casting preference and replied, “Yes, I do. I think he would most likely like to have Joel Kinnaman to be the one playing himself.”

Yeah, I had this conversation with Daley just before Pride Month began. He was absolutely thorough in recognizing the core of this regular time of the year for him. He said that especially Pride is really “A very important time for us to remember we came from the roots, and not just be there to have fun” and went on to elaborate on its significance. That is to say, he did realize what he was doing was talking about the mind, and was very assertive and said, “I feel that is something that we should always keep in mind”.

At the end, Daley considers Pride to be active participation: “but for me it’s about fighting for freedom and continuing to fight for the freedoms and the liberties that people before us have fought for.” Finally, he connected this ongoing effort directly to future progress, concluding, “And it’s about creating change for the future and for the younger generations.”