Batalon on being Spidey’s sidekick
Filipino-American actor Jacob Batalon will soon make audiences laugh when Spider-Man:
Homecoming premieres on July 7. This is only Batalon's second film, following the horror movie
North Woods last year. In an article published by the Philippine Entertainment Portal, Batalon said to have passed out after learning that he was going to be in the new Spider-Man film. To make things even better, he was going to be the lead's best friend.
“I was so happy and elated that I had actually passed out for a good two minutes after my agent called me,” Batalon, who plays high school student Ned Leeds, said.
“Ned is a really innocent and genuine, sweet kid,” said Batalon of his character. “He’s really naive in a sense. You know, he just loves
Star Wars and he’s super smart and he just loves to play around.”
The 20-year-old actor was born in Hawaii. According to Heavy.com, he graduated from a Roman Catholic preparatory school, Damien Memorial School, in Honolulu in 2014. He then attended a two-year program at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.
Batalon has always been a performer, although, he didn't like it that much growing up.
“Singing and (playing) the ukulele really were my thing. My mother would make me go up and sing in front of everyone I didn’t particularly enjoy it... But in retrospect, I think that’s what helped me get over my fear of being in front of people,” he said.