Tom Holland: Zendaya Was ‘My Support System’ When Meeting ‘Daunting’ Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield

The couple that web swings together, stays together.

Tom Holland, one third of the Spider-Men featured in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” adorably recalled to Deadline that he asked co-star (and real-life girlfriend) Zendaya to accompany him when first meeting “Spider-Man” legends Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

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“It was very daunting,” Holland explained in the first trio press interview with Maguire and Garfield. “We were a long way into shooting before you guys showed up, maybe three months into principal photography. The date of the ‘other Spider-Men’ coming was etched on my calendar. The closer and closer I got, the more nervous I was.”

Holland joked that like a true Avenger, he had to call in re-enforcements: “At our first rehearsal, I had asked Jacob [Batalon] and Zendaya to come with me to just kind of be there as my support system,” Holland admitted. “We’re all playing the same character and we all have to bring our own kind of heart and soul to this.”

The “Uncharted” star added that he was worried how Maguire and Garfield would approach reprising their respective roles, thinking, “It means a lot to them, it means a lot to me, does it mean the same?”

But the first day on set together proved to be a true ice-breaker.

“It was…almost a little unfair,” Holland joked. “They had us put the suits on and then just jump around in front of the camera together. That was one of the most bizarre experiences of my life.”

And, it turns out, bonding both on camera and off with Maguire and Garfield revolutionized even Holland’s take on the role.

“Playing Spider-Man could be quite an alienating experience because, you know, we’re the only three blokes who have done it,” Holland said to Garfield and Maguire during the interview. “So to share that with you two, it’s been such a wonderful experience, of which I have such amazing memories.”

Holland continued, “This film also felt like a celebration of three generations of cinema. So, at times, we would be getting into these scenes that were incredibly emotional. They’re very taxing, and I was so happy to be there, that I had to go at it a different way and kind of go, ‘Wow, look at my life. Look what’s happened to me. I’m working with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield and we’re telling this story.'”

The “Cherry” actor admitted to getting “emotional” at moments during production. “I really believed in what we were doing. So, yeah, it was tough, but you know, anything hard is worthwhile,” he said. “I was happy to kind of really push myself and to make this film more emotional than superhero films have been in the past.”

Holland concluded, “From day one, it was a rollercoaster that I didn’t want to get off. It was a strange experience, but one that I won’t ever forget.”

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