- In a chat with Daniel Kaluuya for the Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Tom Holland said that his agents told him to follow the script before his audition for Spider-Man for “Captain America: Civil War”.
- However, Robert Downey Jr. started making “riffs” as soon as the audition started, so Holland went with him and started improvising, ignoring his agents’ advice.
- Holland told Kaluuya that he knew immediately that it was “the best hearing [he’d] already done. “
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Tom Holland said he ignored his agents’ advice not to improvise during his Spider-Man audition for “Captain America: Civil War” and just started “playing” with Robert Downey Jr.
Holland was talking to MCU actor Daniel Kaluuya as part of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, and Peter Parker’s actor recalled the arduous seven-month testing process that involved six tests. Holland said he was competing with six other potential Spider-Men, all tested with Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr.
“It’s the best audition I’ve ever done. He and I were riffing each other. My agents told me that Marvel likes you to learn the words exactly – you can’t improvise. And then, on the first take, Downey just completely changed the scenario, “said Holland.
The actor, who has starred in several films, including “The Impossible” and “In the Heart of the Sea,” gave his agent’s advice not to improvise.
“We started playing with each other, and I mean, to sound like an idiot, I called my mom later and said, ‘I think I made it.'”
Iron Man joined Spider-Man in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”.
Sony Pictures
Holland heard nothing for six weeks, after which he was called in for another audition – this time with Captain America actor Chris Evans.
“At that point, it was an incredible enough experience that, if I hadn’t gotten the part, I would have felt that at least I had achieved something to get to that point,” he said.
Holland didn’t hear from Marvel until he learned that he got the part by reading an article online, which made him break his laptop with so much emotion.
Holland made his Spider-Man debut in “Captain America: Civil War” as the third Peter Parker, after Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. However, Holland was convinced that he would be fired from the role after this film because “‘Civil War’ was not out yet and I just didn’t hear anything from anyone,” he said.
Holland starred in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”, as well as a second solo film in “Spider-Man: Far From Home”. A third solo release is being filmed and is scheduled to be released in December.
In his conversation with Kaluuya, Holland was promoting his new film “Cherry”, directed by the directors of “Infinity War” and “Endgame” Joe and Anthony Russo. Holland could be in the conversation about awards for his role as a drug addict army veteran who starts robbing banks.
Meanwhile, Kaluuya, who played W’Kabi in “Black Panther”, is strongly nominated for his second Oscar nomination for his role as Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah”. He won his first “Get Out” award in 2017.