Finding out that you'll get to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to be quite a thrill, let alone finding out that you'll be playing Spider-Man, quite possibly the most popular Marvel character of them all. While speaking with Daniel Kaluuya (Black Panther) for Variety's Actors on Actors, Tom Holland discussed the audition process for Spider-Man and his reaction upon finding out that he had won the role.
"The audition process was horrible," Holland said. "It was seven months of auditioning. I must’ve done six auditions, and they don’t tell you anything. You’re waiting and waiting, and then, eventually, I got a screen test in Atlanta. I flew out to Atlanta, and there was me and six other kids, and [Robert] Downey [Jr.] was there, so we all tested with Downey, which was crazy. It went so well. It’s the best audition I’ve ever done, him and I were riffing off 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 scene. We started riffing with each other, and I mean, to sound like a bit of a dick, I rang my mum afterward and was like, 'I think I’ve got it.'" However, weeks went by and Holland hadn't heard anything from Marvel, so he started to think that he hadn't gotten the part, particularly as he wasn't the favourite at the time. He was later called back with another actor to do a test fight scene with Chris Evans, but still didn't hear anything one way or another. Well, it turns out that he learned he was Spider-Man just like everyone else did, and his reaction is typical Holland.
I got my computer, and my dog was sitting next to me. I type in “Marvel.” I’ve still got the article saved on my computer. It said, “We would like to introduce our new Spider-Man, Tom Holland.” I broke my computer, because I flipped it up in the air. It fell off my bed; my dog went nuts. I ran downstairs. I was telling my family, “I got the part! I got the part!” And obviously, that was right about the time when Sony had got hacked, so my brother, Harry, who’s quite tech savvy, was like, “No. There’s no way that’s real. They would have called you. They’ve been hacked.” And then the studio called me and gave me the news. It was so bizarre how it happened. I shot “Civil War,” which was a week’s work, and from the moment of shooting “Civil War” to “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” I was convinced they were going to fire me. I don’t know why. “Civil War” hadn’t come out yet, and I just didn’t hear anything from anyone. I can’t really explain it. It was awful, but they didn’t — obviously. It’s been crazy, mate. I’ve loved every minute of it.
As he's making that Marvel money now, I'm sure Tom Holland could afford to flip computers into the air every day if he wanted. Production on Tom Holland's third standalone Spider-Man film is currently underway, and in addition to Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Marisa Tomei, the cast will also include Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus, and there have also been rumours that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will be reprising their Spider-Man roles as well. Seems that we might be in for something rather interesting. The film is currently slated for a December 17, 2021 release.