MCU Directors Recall Casting Tom Holland As Spider-Man And What Impressed Them The Most About The Actor’s Auditions

Some MCU directors shared what impressed them most about Tom Holland during his Spider-Man audition and why they knew he was perfect for the role. Holland first played Spider-Man in the MCU timeline in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, joining Iron Man’s team in his fight against Captain America. Since his debut, he has played the role in three solo films, and in Avengers: Infinity and Avengers: Endgame. He’s also worked with two directors: Jon Watts, director of the Homecoming trilogy, and the Russo Brothers, who directed Civil War and the two Avengers films.

The MCU was under plenty of pressure to cast the perfect live-action Spider-Man actor after the excellent performances of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. However, more than one MCU director has said they knew Holland was perfect for the role and were quickly impressed by him. In an interview with Men’s Health, Jon Watts and Joe Russo said they were impressed by Holland’s physicality, along with the charm and confidence he brought as an actor:

Watts: “He just was so young and sweet, and just charming, and then in the audition, he did a full backflip, like a standing backflip, in addition to being really great on tape… It was like watching a video of the real Peter Parker.”

Joe Russo: “He was all the things that reminded me of what I loved about Peter Parker as a kid… And he was a movie star. He had that movie-star quality… The charisma, the confidence, the energy…He entered the scene at one of the auditions by doing a flip!”

Holland’s Spider-Man is unique because it was the first time that a high-school-aged Peter Parker was played by someone around that age. Holland was 19 when he was cast in the role in 2015, while Maguire and Garfield were both 27 when they signed on to portray the web-slinger. Holland started his career at a young age, with roles in films like The Impossible, so he had acting experience that stood out for these directors.

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He also had a unique physicality that the directors appreciated. He could do many of his own stunts, meaning not all of Spidey’s moves needed to be CGI. Holland also has a natural charm and charisma, and he perfectly expresses Spider-Man’s quippy confidence and Peter’s delightful awkwardness. The directors clearly envisioned a young Peter Parker that looked and sounded like a teenager but still had the physical attributes of Spider-Man, and that’s exactly what they got.

Tom Holland looking offscreen as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the MCU

The directors are correct that Holland is a perfect Spider-Man and Peter Parker. He embodies Spider-Man’s physical traits, but also portrays his natural charm and stubborn heroism. He is easily on the same level as Maguire and Garfield, even if they excel at other aspects of this character. Holland is returning for Spider-Man 4, meaning the MCU wants Spider-Man to be an important part of the MCU’s future.

Holland’s early casting as Spider-Man also means the character can grow and age as the actor does, though it’s unclear what Peter’s future is. Holland is currently 28 and will be 30 when the next film debuts. Peter is just starting college in the MCU, meaning Holland is well over Peter’s MCU age. Unless the MCU wants to age him up, Holland may only have a few appearances left before Marvel needs to decide his MCU future.