Willem Dafoe Only Agreed To Be In "Spider-Man: No Way Home" If He Did His Own Stunts, Plus 30 More Behind-The-Scenes Facts You Should Know
🚨 Warning: There are MASSIVE — and I mean massive — spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: No Way Home! 🚨
1.First, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon knew the third Spider-Man movie was going to involve the multiverse for "at least a couple of years," but they were skeptical that it would actually happen.
Tom said they were "so in the dark" while filming Spider-Man: Homecoming, but for this movie the three of them were really "part of the creative team," and they were asked questions and gave feedback.
2.In fact, there was a point where the third movie was going to center around Kraven the Hunter because "things weren't working out," and Tom Holland was even pitched the Kraven movie by director Jon Watts.
Tom Holland said, "Jon pitched me this Kraven movie, which was actually really cool. It was fun." Meanwhile, screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers said that Kraven the Hunter is "always" on the table when thinking about Spider-Man movies. In 2021, Aaron Taylor-Johnson was officially cast as Kraven for a standalone movie.
3.Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers started writing Spider-Man: No Way Home in December 2019 and didn't really finish until "early 2021."
Not only did they have to pull together so many storylines and characters from three different Spider-Man franchises, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused production to be delayed, and that only added to the script taking a while. In March 2020, Chris and Erik were still working on the first draft of the script.
4.Since the script was constantly changing, a lot of former Spider-Man stars, like Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire, tentatively signed on just from an initial pitch, and then they were delivered script pages.
Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers explained that all of the actors were game after the initial pitches, but they eventually had to deliver pages that lived up to the concept.
5.In fact, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire weren't given actual script pages until just before they filmed their scenes, which was around Christmas 2020.
Chris McKenna said, "They knew the idea, they trusted everyone, but we were in the middle of the war of making the movie, changing so much, but also — we were heading toward shooting them, so they had to see pages and basically see, 'OK, we know there has been a pandemic. We know this thing has gone through a million changes, we know it’s been really difficult.' Luckily they read the pages and they were like, 'Oh, OK, yes! We can work with this.'"
6.Tobey and Andrew's Peter Parkers were originally going to have a different entrance in the film. At first, they were going to be brought to Tom's Peter by a character and introduced as the "saving graces" who could help him through Aunt May's death.
Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers didn't say which character was going to bring them to Tom's Peter, but they said the moment was "just more of a deus ex machina." Eventually, they were re-writing Act 3 — during filming — and came up with the iconic scene where Ned and MJ open a portal to look for their Peter, but instead get Andrew and Tobey.
7.Willem Dafoe only wanted to be in Spider-Man: No Way Home if it was more than just a "power cameo," and he wanted to be involved in all of the action and stunts.
He said, "One of the first things I said to Jon [Watts] and Amy [Pascal], basically when they pitched it to me, before there was even a script, was, 'Listen, I don't want to just pop in there as a cameo or just fill in in close-ups. I want to do the action because that's fun for me." In 2002's Spider-Man, Willem famously did a lot of his own stunts as Green Goblin.
8.When Tom Holland was going to set for his first rehearsal with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon went to watch, and Zendaya said it felt like they were Tom's parents "dropping [him] off at kindergarten."
Zendaya explained, "Like, 'I hope the other kids like him.' And like, 'I hope he doesn't come back crying.' And so [Jacob and I] were just there, and I was taking pictures of [Tom, Andrew, and Tobey], so that [Tom] could have it. It was so cute."
9.Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon came up with a lot of inside jokes with Tobey Maguire while he was on set. Two of them being "Definitely not your dad" and "T-McG."
Tom and Zendaya both said Tobey is "so funny" and "so cool." Tom elaborated, saying, "T-McG. Man, he was so funny. He was really excited to be back. You could tell it really meant a lot to him. Him putting the suit on again. Us getting back together. It was awesome."
10.Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield all have a group chat that Tom started, and he said their bond is like a "brotherhood."
When Tom revealed that a WhatsApp group existed, he said it was after bumping into Tobey and Andrew at a restaurant and a party in LA, respectively. Of course, we now know it's because they actually share the screen together. Speaking about the bond they have, Tom said, "I have my friendships and my relationships with people that I can express my concerns and talk about my problems, and that sort of stuff. But there’s nothing quite like doing it with someone who has donned the suit. We’ve shared something that so few people have shared."
11.Even though Zendaya isn't in the scene that features the return of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, she was on set watching from behind the monitors.
She said, "I was there for the behind-the-scenes watching [Tom and Charlie]." And Tom Holland added that it was "so much fun working with Charlie."
12.While filming the moment when Green Goblin talks to Peter about his existential crisis, Willem Dafoe filmed the scene "30 times" and gave a different performance every single time.
Zendaya said he "scared the hell out of everyone" while in his Green Goblin voice, and Tom Holland added, "I've never worked with an actor who was able to give a director so many options."
13.Just like fans, Tom Holland was emotional over Aunt May's death and said it "comes out of the blue." He loved that with her death, the movie was able to solidify that she was just an important role model for Peter.
"The relationship between Peter and May throughout these films has been really integral to the heart and soul of the story,” Tom said. "This scene kind of seemingly comes out of the blue, like no one expects this to happen. It's going to be really, really hard hitting for people [seeing the] movie."
14.When Andrew and Tobey's Peters meet Tom's Peter on the roof of the school, a lot of the dialogue came from Andrew and Tobey's own ideas and improvisation between the two of them and Tom Holland.
"There’s a crucial, moral moment that they help him get through in the climax of the movie," screenwriter Chris McKenna began. "So much of that was brought by Tobey and Andrew’s ideas and shaping of what they thought their characters could bring to this story." In particular, Andrew loved the idea of his Peter being in a dark place still after Gwen and how he was able to use that pain to help Tom's Peter.
15.Andrew Garfield loved leaning into his Peter's trauma after Gwen's death as well as playing the "middle brother" Peter.
"Andrew really leaned into the lonely, middle brother. That’s one of the things we started saying," screenwriter Chris McKenna explained. "'He is the middle brother!' You have the elder brother, Tobey, who is the wise one. The middle sibling thing, he feels like he’s not getting the attention of the other two. It works so great for that character. Andrew leaned into middle brother syndrome."
16.Marisa Tomei told her therapist the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home before it was released because she just had to tell someone.
17.A majority of the film was actually shot on sound stages in Atlanta, Georgia — where most Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are filmed — so, a lot of times when you are seeing NYC, it's actually a set with blue screen in the background.
The massive fight between Peter and Doc Ock on the bridge was all filmed on a sound stage and not actually in NYC. For the bridge scene, the set was made up of 40-foot blue screens on three sides of a pad and a roadway with the exit where the assistant vice chancellor fell inside the car.
18.In fact, the bridge fight between Doc Ock and Spider-Man is made up of a "few hundred VFX shots," and it was originally a 15-minute-long sequence.
Visual effects supervisor Kelly Port explained that Digital Domain was tasked with creating the effects for this sequence and they did "such a great job." The team built an entire, fully CG digital environment outside of the little bit of practical roadway they had on the set.
19.Alfred Molina's Doc Ock tentacles are all CGI instead of being operated by puppeteers, like they were in Spider-Man 2 in 2004.
All of the tentacles were super-imposed on Alfred during post-production. In Spider-Man 2, Doc Ock's tentacles were actually mechanical, and Alfred had them attached to his back during filming. The original tentacles were controlled by a team of 16 puppeteers, and their movements were choreographed by Eric Hayden.
20.Director Jon Watts is credited with coming up with the idea to have Andrew Garfield's Peter save MJ after she falls from the Statue of Liberty during the final battle.
Screenwriter Chris McKenna said they saw a pre-visualization reel showcasing that idea during the final battle. He explained, "There was an animatic of all these different things [potentially] happening in the finale. [Andrew's] Peter saving MJ was one of the ones that we saw and we were like, ‘How are we not doing something like that?'"
21.Jamie Foxx was most excited to have a "brand-new look" for Electro, and he was thrilled to get away from the blue look that he had in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
"This new new is fly. The homies is like, 'OK, we get you now.' When I was blue, they still rolled with me, but 'OK, you're blue,'" Jamie excitedly said. "With this one, it just feels more comfortable and more today. More modern. Not trying so hard."
22.For a lot of Sandman's moments in the film, only Thomas Haden Church's voice was used, and visuals had to be created by the VFX team without him physically being there.
Visual effects supervisor Kelly Port explained, "Well, we had his voice. We weren’t able to get a lot of visuals on him, but we were able to get his voice for sure and we got scans and textures and things like that."
23.Alfred Molina asked Jacob Batalon for an autographed photo during filming. Jacob thought he was kidding, but Alfred explained that his stepdaughter is a big fan of his.
Jacob said, "He asked me to give her an autograph picture. At first I thought he was kidding. I literally thought he was just trying to pull my leg or something, but he was genuinely asking for a picture and now we are best friends."
24.Zendaya went to set most days — even if she wasn't filming a scene — to watch director Jon Watts work because she's interested in directing in the future.
"I was coming in every day on set to watch Jon work," Zendaya explained. "I like to respect the process, so I'm very quiet. I kind of sit in the corner and sometimes ask Jon questions about his work. He was great and lovely and shared so much with me."
25.During filming, Jamie Foxx would host massive dance parties on set. Zendaya described the elaborate dance breaks, saying that there were "lights going. Rihanna was playing."
At one point, Zendaya was asked to cut down her hours visiting set because Jon Watts was falling behind schedule. They didn't want any distractions, so Zendaya didn't come in for a few days. Then, she said she hilariously showed up to set a few days later, and Jamie was hosting a dance party that involved the actors, producers, and directors. "It was like a full party," Zendaya recalled. "And I was like, 'So, wait, I had to leave...but Jamie is starting full dance parties on set. Maybe this is why we're behind guys?' But it was awesome. He brings such good energy and is a literal party everywhere he goes."
26.One of the things Tom Holland loved most about Spider-Man: No Way Home was showing the darker side to Peter Parker in his scenes where he fights Green Goblin.
Tom explained, "I have a side to Peter Parker that I got to show, which I can't talk about, but it was so fun doing it. It was scary. Jon [Watts] would be like, 'Cut' and then he would come over and be like, 'Are you OK?'"
27.One of the most "brutal" filming days for Tom Holland involved when he had to hang upside down while Doc Ock slams Peter against a stone pillar.
"I was upside down all day, for 11 hours," Tom began. "It was brutal. I was upside down. You're in a harness; the director's saying, 'Could you just turn your head that way?'"
28.Tom Holland's brother Harry actually filmed a scene for the movie, but it didn't make the final cut. Harry played a young burglar who Spider-Man was going to catch.
After Harry told Tom to "suck it up" after he complained about hanging upside down for hours, Tom asked the stunt coordinator to make sure Harry's stunt included hanging upside down. "As the day's going on he's got these lines and he's starting to forget his lines and his eyes are about to pop out of his head. So, we're driving home that day, and I was actually really proud of him, and he's like, 'Mate, you can complain as much as you want. That was brutal,'" Tom recalled.
29.Zendaya cried while watching (and filming) the entire movie and immediately said, "This is awfully sad," when they wrapped production.
She said it was so hard to do spoiler-free interviews on the Spider-Man: No Way Home press tour and have to lie and say how "fun" the movie is. Tom Holland joked that the movie is "bittersweet," and Zendaya immediately replied, "Is it though? Because it's very much just bitter. Like I'm not getting the sweet part."
30.After Tom Holland wrapped Spider-Man: No Way Home, he went snowboarding because his contract was up and he could do anything he wanted. He immediately got hurt and FaceTimed Zendaya with blood running down his face.
31.And finally, as of right now, Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal are "actively beginning to develop" where Spider-Man's story "heads next."
Amy explained, "At the end of the movie we just made, you see Spider-Man make a momentous decision, one that you’ve never seen him make before. It’s a sacrifice. And that gives us a lot to work with for the next film."
