How Did Tom Holland Land His Role As Spider-Man?

Many films and videos still exist of famous auditions for iconic roles in movies. You can find some of those on YouTube, including fascinating auditions from the original Star Wars cast, plus recent pop culture like the MCU.

Nowadays, to win over casting directors, auditions frequently require more daring approaches. Because Tom Holland had always wanted to play Spider-Man from the earliest age, it’s not surprising to learn his audition was different from the usual.

Some footage has been released showing what he did to win the role. What Holland did blew the Russo Brothers away and probably won’t be repeated any time soon.

No one’s done a backflip in an audition, probably in Hollywood history

It’s rare when you find an actor with both superior gymnastic ability and serious acting chops. Tom Holland happens to have both skills in abundance, and he wasn’t afraid to use his physicality to show off to the Russos.

You have to think Holland prepared for this audition years back since we and other media have covered his desire to play the role. We even analyzed the U.K. video showing Holland saying he wanted to play Spider-Man a couple of years before landing the role.

If he had a full-length mirror at home, we can only imagine he practiced exactly what he’d do if he ever did land an audition with Marvel. Whether that included a backflip is anyone’s guess. From all indications, it might have been a spur of the moment decision to beat out the competition.

We may never know if Holland knew he’d have perfect chemistry with Robert Downey, Jr. and the other MCU cast members until stepping in to do test scenes with them.

The Russos didn’t want Holland to hurt himself

There is such a thing as being so desperate to win a part that you end up practically killing yourself to show off your skills. Even though Holland had gymnastic skills, doing backflips at an audition is more than a little audacious. It’s also not easy to do and can still cause injury, especially if you’re not properly prepared.

When the Russos auditioned Holland, they could see he had great chemistry with his co-stars. Nevertheless, they also wanted someone with real physical prowess. Maybe other Spider-Mans of the past all used stunt doubles for the most part. Having the star be able to do them on his own is a major asset, including saving time on stunts.

As Holland announced to the Russos he’d willingly do a backflip, the team initially told him not to due to worry he’d injure himself. Joe Russo gave him the go-ahead, leading Holland to land it perfectly. Then latter did several more to prove his worth.

Since then, the Russos have deemed Holland “invaluable” in his combined skills. Whether he can do those type of physical moves for the next decade is another thing.

Did Tom Holland set his audition impossibly high for everyone else?

Reading the details of what went on in Holland’s Spider-Man audition is still awe-inspiring. Maybe it set such a high bar that anyone else taking over the role of Spider-Man will have to find some way to top every move.

Doing so would be a tall order. Perhaps it won’t be happening for a long time, if more than a decade away. Holland may have to be the last cinematic Spider-Man we ever see unless evolution manages to create an actor exceeding his gymnastic/dancing skills, plus possessing a perfect winning personality.

What we don’t want to see is Holland attempt his own stunts when he grows older and possibly injure himself on set. Some of those Spider-Man moves can permanently throw your body out of whack if you land wrong just once.

If we see Holland play Spider-Man into middle-age, it might become true to life in Spidey laying off the extreme lunges.

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