‘I’M SCARED OF SPIDERS IT’S THE ULTIMATE IRONY’
We catch up with the newest Spidey, Brit actor Tom Holland, to talk web-slinging, nosediving and arachnids
At first glance, chances are you may not recognise this boyishly handsome, clean-cut face. But take a long, hard look at 21-yearold Tom Holland, because the next time you lay eyes on him, he’ll be decked out in Lycra and shooting webs from his fingers as Marvel’s iconic superhero, Spider-man.
Following on from the Tobey Maguire trilogy that ended in 2007, and Andrew Garfield’s efforts three years ago, Holland’s teen incarnation of Spidey gets his full showcase in Spider-man: The Homecoming. And with few of the spider-based offerings living up to 2004’s spectacularly fun Spiderman 2, there’s a huge amount of pressure on the makers of this film – and Holland himself – to deliver the same kind of critical and commercial success of recent comic-book adaptations like Doctor Strange and Wonder
Woman. Fortunately for them, the scenes featuring Holland bouncing off his superhero mentor Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) in Captain America: Civil War last year went down very well, and Downey is back to give Spidey his full support – and sage advice – in this exciting new blockbuster.
Tom, son of stand-up comedian and TV presenter Dominic Holland, is of course no stranger to stage and screen. He got his big
‘I’m suddenly living the life of a lottery winner, and I’m thankful’
break in the West End musical
Billy Elliot when he was only 12, and then went on to dazzle as one of Naomi Watts and Ewan Mcgregor’s sons in moving film The Impossible in 2012.
Spider-man is undoubtedly his biggest challenge yet, but as you’ll see from his unstarry answers, he’s clearly got enough Spidey-sense to handle the whole crazy fame game. Just don’t show him any eight-legged critters… The wait for the film to be released is nearly over. Are you getting excited? Until it comes out, it won’t feel real. I’ve made the film, I did all the stunts, I put on the suit, but I still can’t get my brain to quite tap into that. I can’t believe it. And even after it comes out, I will still probably feel the same, which is stupid, because I’m Spider-man. I’m glad, in a way – I don’t want any of this to become normal. Wasn’t that what Chris Hemsworth said to you – never allow any of this to become normal? Exactly, and he also said to me about keeping my feet planted – and that has really stuck. Maybe it’s because that’s how I was raised. My family would be quite disappointed in me if my attitude changed. Not allowing any of this to alter who I am, who I was before this ever happened, is so, so important to me. And it doesn’t have to. Look at Chris, he’s Thor but he’s probably the most approachable, down-toearth guy you could meet… Chris said to keep your family and friends closest to you, like a shield. And I had my best mate, Harrison, with me through all this, and having him with me has been my touchstone to reality. He was on payroll as my assistant, but it was just a way to have my best mate with me through this journey, to enjoy it with him and have that same excitement and buzz we would have had as kids, going through an experience like this. It must be a bit insane, right? You’re suddenly living this life of a lottery winner – private jets and hotels – and it’s different, there’s no denying it, but you just have to be thankful for it, always. And always excited. If it becomes boring, if you become complacent, if you believe those who are always pumping you up… I can now see how it happens. Just don’t go down that road. So, you won’t become a diva… I don’t know – maybe I’ll completely change and eat all my words. [Laughs.] I can’t see it happening. No, it won’t happen. Which other celebrities have given you good advice? Robert Downey Jr has been really great, he’s been there during a lot of this. There have been moments, particularly during Homecoming, where I’ve doubted my capabilities. We all have doubts. And he pulled me aside one day and said, “You know, you got this, this was meant to be. I had the same feelings doing Iron Man, the same anxieties, but know that they picked you for a reason – because it feels right, it works. It’s not about how good you can do the web-slinging or stunts, it’s about the personality you bring to the character.” That eased my fears, and wise words like that from Iron Man, you don’t forget. They are there stored in the vault for repeat use. [Laughs.] How is this Spider-man different from the other incarnations? Because we’re seeing him at an unforeseen time in his life. We’ve never seen what he can do at 15, we’ve never seen him in high school before, and that combination is really dynamic. What it’s like to see a 15 year old with superpowers; an impressionable, irresponsible high-school kid, who has to be home at curfew, has to do his homework and is rubbish with girls. We get to see what happens when one of his friends learns his secret, and how that affects their friendship. Will he be his ally? Will he keep his secret? We also get to see the aftermath of Civil War, where he hung out with these rock stars, the Avengers and Iron Man, but now, he’s being forced to give that all up and return to normality. It’s a tall ask. Did you talk to former Spideys Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield and get any tips from them? No, I didn’t, because ours was a different take to theirs and it probably would’ve filled me with more anxiety than I was already experiencing, attempting to emulate what they did with Spider-man. I needed to focus purely on what I could bring and not compare myself to them. Fair enough… But they have been very cool with what they’ve said about me. I’ve met Andrew, who is a really kind, generous guy. We didn’t really talk about Spider-man much – I mean, he obviously asked how it was going, and said how excited he was for me, and understood what I was going through. To get his approval was hugely important, because as my predecessor, I look up to him. Plus, he’s had a great career… We talked about his career. He’s just worked with [director
Martin] Scorsese and got an Oscar nomination – his career to me is hugely inspiring. I hope I get to work with him in the future. With both of them. Were there any injuries on set? Oddly no, none on set. We’ve got some amazing stunt coordinators, the best of the best. They’re the ones we had on Civil War; they’re experts, and know what exactly what you should be doing so as to not hurt yourself. It’s not in anyone’s interest to get injured – that’s what I kept having to tell myself. But I was doing stuff that was like, “Yeah, why did I want this job in the first place? I didn’t think this through.” Such as? Like nosediving 30ft. My stomach will never get used to that! [Laughs.] Even thinking about it now makes me a little “ugh”. Once you do it, it’s the greatest rush, and then you want to do it again, but you get up there, and it’s like, “Damn, I’m scared again.” But towards the end of filming, I fell down the stairs with my suitcase. Yes, you can laugh. You wouldn’t be the first And you hadn’t even wrapped filming yet when it happened? There were still a couple of scenes left, but they weren’t big action stuff, so it wasn’t a disaster. I’m sure the crew thought, “Thank God this didn’t happen earlier.” How badly were you hurt? My leg sort of popped a little – there was a little tweaking going on. It’s only starting to feel right now. Luckily, that was it. So, do you actually like spiders? I hate them. [Laughs.] Oh, the irony… I’m not joking when I admit that, and I know it’s the ultimate irony. But, you know, I’m also human, most of us don’t like them. But I am really scared. Did this film test your arachnophobia level? No, but on The Lost City Of Z it was a challenge. Was that filmed in the jungle? Yes. It was insanely life-changing to be in that environment, to be in the thick of extreme, tropical nature like that – proper David Attenborough, and I loved it. But they have some gnarly creatures in there. I’m not too bad with snakes, or any other insects, but spiders are my thing and the ones there are the stuff of nightmares. Have you ever heard of wandering spiders? No, what are they? They don’t make webs, they just wander around on the ground, which is almost more terrifying. They’re the size of a small dog, white on top, red underneath, and the scariest thing you’ve
ever seen. One “wandered” near us and it looked cool, but our guide immediately said, “Stay way back, because if it bites you, you’re gone, you’re done.” Blimey, no wonder you were scared… I feel like I need to get over that, because spiders are enormously impressive creatures. I probably need to be a better ambassador.
Spider-man: Homecoming is in cinemas on 5 July