Spider-Man: No Way Home is a pretty emotional film. And not just because it wraps up the Tom Holland-led Homecoming trilogy . What could have easily been an overwrought film with just too many villains instead ties together three generations of Spider-Man. In a way that mostly works. For fans of the Spider-Man films, seeing Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland talk Spidey sense on-screen is quite emotional. So imagine what it was like to have the only three actors who’ve ever donned the suit in live-action together on set. In a new interview with Variety, Jon Watts talked about the “Spider-Man therapy session” he had with the cast.
He shared that prior to shooting their first scene together, he sat down with the trio of Spider-Mans, as well as Zendaya and Jacob Batalon. Sitting in a classic group therapy circle, they went through the script—which is now available to read online—together. And, of course, chatted about Spider-Man and their journeys with the character.
“We sat on folding chairs in a circle and went through the script together. I had talked to everyone separately, but to have everyone together to talk about the story, how the pieces fit together and what Spider-Man meant to them—that was exciting for me,” Watts said. “We had the only three actors to ever play Spider-Man in a film, and each had been through so much, on and off-screen. It was like a Spider-Man therapy session.”
Watts added that because they’d done so much of the prep work unpacking each of the Spider-Mans, when the cameras started rolling, he got to really take in the magic of the moment. He said, “Because we had done that work ahead of time, when filming that first scene with everyone, it was great to take a step back and see the crew watching, like they were watching the movie. You’re capturing something more than a scene from a movie; you’re watching a once-in-a-lifetime event.”
Well, that is quite emotional. And more than paid off in the final cut. Garfield—who for his credit tried so so hard to keep his involvement under wraps— likened the three Peter Parkers to brothers when he finally spoke about it. The chemistry between the three Spideys was beautiful. Add in MJ and Ned and we have a surprisingly funny crime-fighting crew. One we wish we saw more of. But then again, there’s always the next time we head into the MCU’s multiverse.