Tom Holland has opened up about one of his biggest regrets in his career--and it all stems from the biggest role he's played so far.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Holland spoke about his controversial replacement of fellow British actor Andrew Garfield in the titular role in Sony's Spider-Man franchise back in 2015.
Sony's Spider-Man Universe is a media franchise and since 2015 a shared universe of films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Marvel sold the rights to Spider-Man to Sony in 1999 before the MCU became box-office gold.
\u201cTom Holland breaks free. \n\nAfter six stints as Spidey and eager for post-superhero adventures, #TheCrowdedRoom star opens up about the pressures of mega-celebrity, life with Zendaya and his group chat with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield: https://t.co/qLFCgO4THA\u201d— The Hollywood Reporter (@The Hollywood Reporter) 1686748190
Holland told The Hollywood Reporter he was so excited about landing a major gig at just 19 he didn't consider how Garfield might be feeling in the midst of the switchover.
\u201c\u201cI just wish I\u2019d called him and just said, \u2018You know I can\u2019t turn down this opportunity.\u2019\u201d https://t.co/ab6JFpgFAs\u201d— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) 1686833405
Garfield, who joined the Spider-Man franchise in 2012, is believed to have been pushed out of subsequent sequels after The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Garfield was openly critical of the films he appeared in, saying that he felt Sony and producers had excised several "deep scenes" from the second that he felt were important to the film.Neither of Garfield's films were critical successes and they did not live up to expectations at the box office.
The subsequent 2015 Sony hack revealed emails in which Sony staffers discussed being angry with Garfield over his comments and especially his refusal to attend a gala event in Rio de Janeiro at which the third and final Garfield-starring installment of the franchise was to be announced. Shortly thereafter it was announced that Garfield was out and would be replaced by Holland.
Holland told THR he now feels his handling of his casting was insensitive to Garfield because of his "naievete as a kid."
"I was 19 when I got cast. I was so caught up in getting the role that I never took any time to think about what it must have been like for [Garfield]."
"If I’d made my second movie, and it didn’t necessarily deliver in the way it should have done, and they recast me, I would really struggle to bounce back."
He went on to praise his colleague's handling of the controversy and expressed what he wishes he'd done differently.
"Andrew bounced back in the most unbelievable way. I just wish I’d called him and just said, 'You know I can’t turn down this opportunity.'"
There doesn't appear to be any bad blood between the two, however.
Holland revealed he, Garfield and O.G. Spider-Man Tobey Maguire—who appeared together in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home—have a group chat they've named The Spider-Boys.
On Twitter, fans were moved by Holland's heartfelt words about his respect for Garfield.
They also loved that the three iconic Spider-Men are buddy-buddy now.
\u201c@MCU_Direct what happens in the past is in the past\nim just glad they all met together in a movie and are friends!\u201d— MCU - The Direct (@MCU - The Direct) 1686768173
\u201cTom Holland:\n\u2705 hates toxic masculinity\n\u2705 supports WGA\n\u2705 dances like Fred Astaire\n\u2705 has a group chat with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire called \u201cthe Spider-Boys\u201d\nhttps://t.co/xnPjQmu5NU\u201d— Seth Abramovitch (@Seth Abramovitch) 1686750352
\u201c@DiscussingFilm We need a full movie with them all! \ud83e\udd29\ud83c\udf7f\u201d— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1686753385
\u201c@DiscussingFilm The only messages exchanged in this are Spider-Man memes 100%\u201d— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1686753385
\u201c@VanityFair Bromance \ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d\u201d— VANITY FAIR (@VANITY FAIR) 1686753627
\u201c@DiscussingFilm The Spider Bros\u201d— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1686753385
\u201c@FilmUpdates I wonder if they fight about who the best Spider Man is\u201d— Film Updates (@Film Updates) 1686750413
\u201c@MCU_Direct It\u2019s OK, no need to beat yourself up about it, it happened almost a decade ago. Y\u2019all are Spider-Bros now\u201d— MCU - The Direct (@MCU - The Direct) 1686768173
\u201c@GeekVibesNation Three perfect spidermen\u201d— Geek Vibes Nation (@Geek Vibes Nation) 1686751010
Holland also announced in his THR interview he is taking a year off from acting.
Butndon't worry, Holland is slated to appear in a fourth Spider-Man film, which does not yet have a release date.