While promoting Spider-Man: Homecoming in Korea, actor Tom Holland spoke about making Spidey's alter ego, Peter Parker, believable
If Tom Holland looks and sounds like a teen, he's done his job right.Tom Holland, the new face of Peter Parker in the popular Spider-Man movie series, says the superhero and he are much alike in that they both are not popular in real life but they go under big changes.
In the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter was an ordinary 15-year old high school student until he is bitten by genetically modified spider. With his new spider-like ability, Parker is asked to join the Avengers team along with Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr, to fight the villain Vulture (Michael Keaton). But he is far from ready. Holland says he can relate.
“My teenage life was little strange,” said Holland during the press conference at Conrad Hotel in Seoul, on Monday. “I was an ordinary student at school and at the same time an actor. But I was not the popular kid, which helped me to play Peter Parker better.”
“One of the reasons why Spider-Man is my favorite superhero is because we both undergo big changes in our lives. So many changes are happening in my life and it is very important to me that I stay tuned into myself. Spider-Man also undergoes many changes in his life and he tries to stay tuned into himself,” said Holland.
The British actor added that his unique voice has also helped him express his teen superhero better.
Holland has a uniquely high-pitched voice and in one particular scene in the movie, it made it easier for him to show his desperation in convincing his best friend character Ned.
“When kids get excited, their voices go up and they speak fast. I know I did and still do now. In this one scene particularly, Ned finds out that I am Spider-Man and I am trying to convince him not to tell anyone. And I am very much speaking in this fast and high voice. Plus, I am British,” said Holland.
If actors like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield played a masculine and sweet superhero in the previous Spider-Man series, Holland has something more fresh and exciting he is adding to his role, which he describes as “cuteness”.
“It’s important not to make Spider-Man masculine because he’s a kid. As soon as you make him masculine, it’s harder to relate to him if you are younger and are in high school. I definitely was not masculine in high school,” said Holland.
Asked to name his favorite character in the Avengers, Holland picked “Ant-Man”. Although he was suspicious at first of an insect superhero, he says he enjoyed watching the movie and suggested to film producer Kevin Feige of Marvel Studios that he create another series gathering insect heroes.
Jacob Batalon, who plays Ned in the movie, picked Black Widow as his favourite, because she can win fights without other-worldly gifts.
“Black Widow can take anybody without using her superpower. She is just beautiful in the scenes,” said Batalon.
The American superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, stars Jon Favreau, Donald Glover and Zendaya.
Spider-Man: Homecoming opens in Hong Kong tomorrow.
By Kim Jae-heun, Korea Times. See the original article here.