Zendaya Confirms What We've Always Suspected About Tom Holland's Dedication To The Role Of Spider-Man
As an actor, some parts require a commitment that goes far beyond when the cameras are rolling.
The thing about playing a superhero is that you definitely don't get the protection of a secret identity. Audiences have seen you masked and unmasked, with your glasses on and without them, in the suit and out of it. It's a lot harder for you to hide than for your character. You presumably can't fly everywhere you need to go.
And so it takes a special kind of actor to really embrace these parts — someone willing to go the extra mile. Whether it's Christopher Reeve continuing to showcase the strength and hope of Superman even after the fall that paralyzed him, or Michael Keaton still insisting that he's Batman nearly 30 years after he last put on the cowl (at least, at the time).
It turns out that this is a part of the superhero gig that Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Spider-Man, Tom Holland, has embraced — at least according to one of his co-stars.
Tom Holland embraces being Spider-Man even off-camera
Though Zendaya's recent interview with the magazine InStyle is focused mostly on her career, and her burgeoning success as a behind-the-scenes force in the industry, the actor — who plays MJ in the upcoming "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and its two predecessors — takes the time to praise Holland for being willing to snap into Spider-Man mode even when he's off-duty. "In an actor way, I appreciate that he really loves being Spider-Man," she told InStyle. "It's a lot of pressure — you take on the role of a superhero wherever you go."
Holland has no doubt had countless impromptu interactions with kids shocked and amazed to see their favorite hero on the street. If he handles those with even a fraction of the grace and charm he brings to the planned ones –– from visiting children in hospitals in character, to surprising Jimmy Kimmel's son on his birthday –– then it's easy to see what his co-star is saying (and maybe that's why he's always dropping spoilers about the films — he's always in character, even when doing promotional work).
"To the little kid who walks by, you are Spider-Man," she added. "I think he handled that so well."
Zendaya says Holland's dedication to Spider-Man makes him "a perfectionist" when filming
But Holland is no slouch when he's on the clock, either. Another way he expresses that commitment to the character, according to Zendaya, is to ensure that he's doing the best possible job on the movie that everyone is going to see.
"Seeing him at work [...] he is a perfectionist," she said. "Our director allowed me to come in every day [of the shoot], and it was cool to see how he cares so much about his work and making it right."
She described watching him performing in a fight scene, a sequence that took at least the entire day to complete. "He'd do a move, come back to the monitors, watch it, and say, 'I can do that better.' I'd be like, 'Dude, you got it.' But he wants us to be perfect, and I really appreciate that."
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is set to premiere December 17, 2021.