Tom Holland made a name for himself with his portrayal of Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the MCU. Holland debuted in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War before headlining his own solo franchise, which is expected to return with a fourth installment soon. However, Holland had to undergo a screen test with Robert Downey Jr to secure the role.
In a recent podcast, Holland recalled the experience of auditioning alongside Downey Jr and revealed the one important lesson he learned in the process. Furthermore, Holland also revealed that Downey Jr fought against changes to the film’s script that drastically reduced Holland’s role, and here is what the Spider-Man actor had to say.
Tom Holland Revealed the Biggest Take Away From His Marvel Audition With Robert Downey Jr
Actor Tom Holland is best known for his performance as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the MCU. He recently launched a non-alcoholic beverage brand and appeared on Rich Roll’s podcast to promote it. At the same time, Holland spoke about auditioning for his now-iconic MCU role.
Holland revealed that it was already a daunting task to perform a screen test alongside Robert Downey Jr, who is an MCU legend. However, he was also asked to memorize his lines to the tee for the screen test. Holland was already under pressure when Downey Jr decided to go off script and improvise his lines.
He just started improvising and changing everything in the script which kind of gave me license to kind of follow him and I think something I learned from Downey is like you can’t beat him but you can ride his coattails.
Holland made the above statement, explaining that he simply followed the senior actor’s lead and continued improvising, easing some pressure on him.
Furthermore, Holland following Downey Jr’s lead likely sparked an organic chemistry between the two actors, which might have played a crucial part in the younger actor being signed on to play Spider-Man in the MCU, a role he is expected to reprise in the upcoming fourth installment of the solo franchise.
Robert Downey Jr Fought to Keep Tom Holland’s Scene in Captain America: Civil War
In the same conversation, Holland also reflected on working with Downey Jr on his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, directed by the Russo brothers. However, when he showed up to film his introductory scene, Holland learned that most of his lines from the audition were cut down, reducing the scene from eight pages to two pages.
When Downey Jr arrived on the set and learned about the changes, he was surprised and took issue with it. Holland said the following regarding the incident, recalling how Downey Jr insisted that the directors shoot the entire scene, even if they do not end up using it:
Downey was the one that was like no no no you’re going to want to spend some time on this like let’s shoot the whole thing from the audition you can always cut it but you’d want to have it.
Holland added that Downey Jr felt the scene in its original state was integral to establishing Peter Parker in the MCU.
Downey Jr was proven correct when the film’s final cut included the complete scene and laid down the foundation for Holland’s character. Moreover, the scene also gave viewers a brilliant insight into the personality and motivations of this iteration of Peter Parker, making fans want to follow his story.
The first two MCU Spider-Man movies are streaming on Disney+.
