As one of the MCU's youngest members, Tom Holland (aka Spider-Man) has had some trouble keeping his mouth shut during interviews when it came to spoilers.
Fortunately, for the newest movie, Avengers: Endgame, directors Anthony and Joe Russo found way to curb this problem: just don't give him a script!
Speaking during an Indian Anthem event for Avengers: Endgame on April 1, Joe Russo told fans about the procedure surrounding Tom and scripts:
"Yeah, Tom Holland does not get the script. Tom Holland gets his lines and that's it. He doesn't even know who he's acting opposite of. We'll just, we use like very vague terms to describe to him what is happening in the scene, because he has a very difficult time keeping his mouth shut."
Holland described the process similarly at ACE Comic Con Phoenix last year:
"The Russo Brothers are like 'so you're just standing here, and you're fighting this guy and just do whatever,' and I'm like, 'Okay, who am I fighting?' And they were like, 'Well, we can't tell you because it's a secret.' I'm like, 'Okay so what does he look like?' And they're like 'well, we can't tell you because that would give it away'…I'm just standing there punching the air for 15 minutes and when I took the job I didn't think that's what I'd be doing. I've gotten used to it now."
These steps may seem extreme, but Holland's history of inadvertently giving away plot details concerning upcoming Marvel movies is a well-documented disaster.
*Spoilers ahead!*
Before a special screening of Avengers: Infinity War, Holland claims he was told the audience had already seen the movie, so he walked in and announced himself by saying:
"Don't worry, I'm still alive!"
His joke, an obvious reference to his character's death in the film, was not missed by the audience.
Even in the year leading up to Avengers: Endgame, Holland may have been just a bit loose-lipped when it came to details.
While speaking about how Spider-Man interacted with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, he couldn't help but mention what might be a major plot point for the upcoming movie:
"[Cumberbatch] has the most difficult lines though. He has to talk about so much Quantum Realm stuff. I just have to talk about, 'Yeah, man, that's awesome!' So mine is easy, but his is so difficult!"
It's since been revealed that the Quantum Realm will almost certainly play into Avengers: Endgame (if nothing else, it will explain Ant-Man's return to the world of the living), though the extent of its use is still a relative unknown.
Another technique the filmmakers have used to stop Tom from leaking spoilers is to pair him with Benedict Cumberbatch during press tours.
A supercut of Cumberbatch stopping Holland from giving away plot points went viral on Twitter in April 2019:
Twitter loves the dynamic between the two stars!
Don't worry, Tom—you just keep doing your thing, and the directors will make sure you don't spill the beans!
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
@kevinbacon/TikTok
