Why Tom Holland Says ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ Is a ‘Full-Circle’ Moment for Jake Gyllenhaal
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In another world, Jake Gyllenhaal could’ve been “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.”
Just a quick refresher — in 2003, Variety was among the outlets to report that Gyllenhaal was in talks to take over the title role in the Sam Raimi-directed “Spider-Man 2” after star Tobey Maguire suffered a back injury that could’ve taken him out of the film. In the end, Maguire was able to return and the rest is history.
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But history often repeats itself. More than 15 years later, the Oscar nominee is back in the Spider-Man fold playing Quentin Beck/Mysterio in “Spider-Man: Far From Home” opposite Tom Holland, who returns as the titular superhero. Before the film’s premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Wednesday night, Holland confirmed to Variety that the two have discussed the coincidence.
“We’ve spoken about it a little bit and I have some insight into it that I’m not going to talk about, because it’s not my story,” Holland told Variety. “But no, it’s pretty cool. It’s a pretty full-circle story that, you know, he’s here today in a Spider-Man movie playing such an awesome character that is Mysterio.”
Holland took up the mantle of Spider-Man/Peter Parker in 2015 — after Maguire and then Andrew Garfield’s Spidey films — and has honed his version of the web-slinger over the course of five films across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the latest, Holland’s Parker is struggling to adjust to life after “The Blip” (when he and millions of others disappeared for five years after super-villain Thanos’ snap) and (“AVENGERS: ENDGAME” SPOILER ALERT) dealing with the heartbreaking loss of his mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).
“Where do I see him going from here? For me, what I’ve learned about that question is, the best way to answer it is to not answer it because my ideas are never as good as Kevin [Feige] and Jon [Watts] and Tom Rothman and Amy Pascal’s,” Holland quipped. “I just love this character so much and the fact that we get to, you know, explore the relationship between Happy Hogan and Peter more is so great.”
Jon Favreau, who plays Hogan, concurred: “I like what this relationship has evolved to, and, of course, to work with an actor like Tom Holland with scenes that are both funny and also emotional is great because I don’t get to act like this that often.”
“In the beginning, I was kind of a little annoyed by [his character] and I was like a babysitter assigned to look after him in the background of what was happening during ‘Civil War,’” the actor and director explained. “Thanks to Jon Watts [the film’s director] filling us in on all the specific details of what was leading up to this, because…’Endgame’ was actually still kind of shooting around the same time. So, to hear what my character had been through and what Peter Parker had been through, it definitely changed the relationship between our two characters.”
Peter and Happy’s relationship isn’t the only one that evolves during “Far From Home.” This film leans into the romance, featuring more of Peter’s storied love affair with MJ (Zendaya) and surprising fans with sparks between Happy and Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May.
“I’ve wanted to work with him and hang around him for a long time. I just love him as a director, as an actor, his spirit, his vision. It was just so much fun,” Tomei gushed about Favreau. “He’s obviously a fantastic improviser. So, [I] had my work cut out for me with him.”
The entire cast of “Far From Home” — including Spidey newcomers Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill) — gathered on Hollywood Blvd. for the premiere, where all conversation eventually led back to Holland. Sony chairman Tom Rothman explained why the young star has become a fan favorite.
“Well, I think it’s his genuineness,” Rothman told Variety. “He had that from the very beginning, from the first audition through, you know, the last scene of this movie. There’s a genuineness that’s really infectious in his performance.”
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” hits theaters on July 2.
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