F
or the fifth time
Spiderman is out to save
the universe and the box
office. twenty-three-year-old
tom holland plays Spiderman
with great panache. how long
can filmmakers ride the success
of the franchise and how do
they keep it fresh?Why should the audience revisit
Spiderman? What makes this
one different from others?
i’m really eager to see if the
audience will be prepared
for what’s in store for them,
because the filmmakers have
taken a big risk, it was hard to
make, and my character has
really been developed. the
journey that Spiderman goes on
emotionally and physically is
really dramatic, he has matured.
Also i had to perform some of
the stunts, there is a sequence
in which i don’t wear a mask and i had
to pole vault up a 30-foot bridge, i was
running across poles and flipping off
buildings, it was crazy and i got a few
knocks and bruises but it was all worth
it. it looks great.Spiderman is of high school or college
age. So I would like to ask you, what
kind of student were you?
i was a good student in school. i had
bad attendance because i was working
all the time. i didn’t fit in very well
in school because i started working
professionally when i was 11, so i grew
up very quickly, and was surrounded
by adults, and then when i went back
to school i was like, ‘Well, you are all a
bunch of idiots.’ i grew up real quickly,
so i never really fitted in at school. But idid enjoy studying design technology,
all of my mom’s side of the family are
carpenters, so i always enjoyed that.
As a matter of fact, i went through a
stage in my career where i must have
gone to some 50 or 60 auditions and
didn’t get a single job, and then my
mom sent me to Cardiff in Wales
and i did this carpentry course, so
i’m a qualified carpenter, because in
england you need qualifications to
work on a site. i loved doing that. But
it’s funny the course was for ex-soldiers
and ex-prisoners. And they were all
tough people who were turning their
lives around and they were swapping
stories and stuff like that, and every
time i complained about something,
they would say, “okay, okay actor
man”. i also loved playing sports; iliked the camaraderie of that.Now that you are a known name,
do you think people treat you
differently?
i haven’t really noticed a
difference, i’ve done very well
in my career of only being in
the spotlight when i need to be,
i very rarely go to a premier of a
film that i am not in. i very rarely
go to high-profile parties.Yes, but when you are in public.
What is it like?
there are occasions when people
get excited, they are fans of the
movies and they love to meet
us and that stuff, which is really
sweet and really fun. But in my
everyday life i have not noticed a
difference.Do you see yourself wanting to
direct some day?
My brother and i are aspiring directors,
and that is what i would ultimately
like to do in this industry. i love acting
and i enjoy it. i find the spotlight a
little scary and a little daunting. i
think being behind the camera will
suit me the best in the long run. My
brother harry and i have written a
short film, it’s 12 pages long. it will be
a ten-minute short. We wrote it in the
pub, it’s kind of like a dark comedy and
i am very lucky to be able to send the
script to people like ron howard and
Kevin feige and they give me notes.
i will fund the film myself because
i don’t want to have to answer to a
studio. if it’s not very good we can just
put it away and i don’t have to get into
trouble for it. Maybe in five years’ time,
i’ll do a feature film. n5 august 2019 http://www.openthemagazine.com 65
Hollywood reporter
Noel de Souza
‘I got a few knocks and bruises
but it was all worth it’
To m H o l l a n d