Tom Holland: Everyone wanted to touch me when I wore the Spider-Man costume

Tom Holland

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' is set to release on Friday and fans of the superhero franchise are excited. After seeing a glimpse of the young Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland in 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016), cinephiles are eager to watch the actor in his own full-fledged film. In an exclusive chat with mid-day, Holland talks about working with Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr. Excerpts:

How was the experience of playing a superhero?
I never, in my wildest dream, thought I'd play Spider-Man. I gave multiple auditions for the film, but realised I was doing the film only when Marvel announced it on Instagram.

The phrase 'With great power comes great responsibility' is a hallmark of all Spider-Man instalments. Will it be used in this film too?
We're not doing the origin story. So, we've not used the saying. The theme, nonetheless, plays throughout the film. There was a joke in the original script, which was to make fun of the original movie, but we dropped the idea.

Michael Keaton

How was it to work with Keaton (plays Batman)?
He is valuable to me. I was able to learn what it is like to be a superhero from him. I'd ask him questions and his suggestions were really helpful. I got one of the best compliments from him when he told me that I have tried to ground Spider-Man in reality and make him believable and realistic.

Was sharing a frame with Iron Man (Downey Jr) exciting?
I've always been a fan. I was nervous about meeting him for the first time. When I met him, I thought to myself, 'He looks different in person.' And then Robert walked in and I realised that I had been talking to his stunt double.

Robert Downey Jr

Was getting behind the Spider-Man mask exciting?
You cannot see through it. You can barely breathe. Everyone wanted to touch me the moment I wore the costume. The disappointing thing was that it looked so real that you expected it to do something, but it doesn't. It's just a suit. It's not the most comfortable attire, because you cannot see anything. I remember, I was doing this scene with a stuntman and I was supposed to dodge a punch, but I couldn't see him. He ended up punching me hard.