In the course of the Spider-Man movies that have hit the big screen, Tobey Maguire was the first to don the Spidey Suit for the Sam Raimi trilogy followed by Andrew Garfield in the Marc Webb films. Once the web-shooting character joined the ranks of the MCU films, Tom Holland was hired to portray Peter Parker, who debuted in Captain America: Civil War. MCU director Joe Russo and more reveal what it was about Holland that made them feel they were looking at “the real Peter Parker” during his impressive audition.
Back in 2015, the search for the next Spider-Man came down to five actors- Asa Butterfield, Nat Wolff, Liam James, Timothée Chalamet, and Tom Holland. After the casting race came down to Holland and Butterfield, the Ender’s Game star became out of the mix with actors Charlie Plummer, Matthew Lintz, and Charlie Row who were ready to shoot webs. Ultimately, it was decided that The Impossible star nailed his audition and would become the next Peter Parker! The British actor would continue to wow audiences by playing Peter Parker in six Marvel films.
Considering the athleticism Tom Holland showed in early videos during his time as a Spider-Man finalist, it’s no wonder the MCU felt like he was the man for the job. His experience as an 11-year-old doing ballet and acrobatics for the stage musical Billy Elliot was his secret weapon pulling off gymnastics during his Spider-Man audition. After the English actor displayed his acrobatic skills for his Spider-Man audition, Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts told Men’s Health how the young actor blew his audition out of the water as if he was looking at “the real Peter Parker”:
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.
Tom Holland’s sweet and youthful nature definitely came full circle during his audition. In the hilarious video of Holland and his Spider-Man: No Way Home chums watching their auditions, you’ll see the Uncharted actor entering the room doing backflips into the frame, humorously pretending that the audition doesn’t start there. There was a little web-shooting hand action going on there that showed the talented actor knew his Spidey moves. Plus, his screentest with Chris Evans proved he nailed the innocence of Peter Parker doing these superhuman moves while still needing a little help from his fellow Avengers.
A casting director knows it clicks when an actor disappears into his character during an audition. Director Joe Russo, who directed Holland in Captain America: Civil War and later Cherry, felt like Peter Parker was standing right before him during his audition with many important reasons why:
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!
Doing a flip to prove you’re the next Spider-Man is definitely an A+ way to grab the attention of Marvel Studios casting and prove to be more than capable for the part. Tom Holland did get a little help in nailing his audition. For instance, he received a hilarious “confidence boost” from a cab driver before his final audition who told him he’d get the part for not being as “good looking” as the previous customer he drove. Not exactly the type of advice you’re hoping to hear before the biggest audition ever, but it still helped the Onward voice actor in a twisted way.
Tom Holland also got help from multiple MCU actors like Chris Hemsworth who sent him praise for his hard work. He also collaborated with Punisher actor Jon Bernthal to work on their auditions. With a little support from his friends, The Devil All the Time star became the next Peter Parker.
It looks like the secret ingredients to blowing a Spider-Man audition out of the water is to show you’ve got the web-slinger’s moves and the support of your fellow MCU stars. Tom Holland was clearly the best choice to play Peter Parker/Spider-Man for showing the character’s athleticism and the innocence of carrying a big responsibility for a teenager to handle.
Fans can revisit Tom Holland fighting crime as Spider-Man in the MCU films with a Disney+ subscription. Keep your eye out for Holland’s role in upcoming Marvel movies coming in 2026 like Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man 4.
