Tom Holland will probably have to face down many villains as Spider-Man in the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home. But he took on many more nemeses when he recently visited the Hot Ones show. Holland made it through a round of very spicy wings and shared some hilarious and touching stories along the way. Basically, Tom Holland showed us what real superheroes are made of on Hot Ones.
“I hate my job,” Holland exclaims at one point in the episode, but clearly, he loves it. Holland dove right into every wing. He never stopped, and even took second bites, not even in the face of clear, actual pain. But he did swear, sweat, and yes, even cry.
But despite the obstacles, Holland shared many great stories and answered all of the questions presented to him very thoughtfully. Of course, he talked a little bit about Spider-Man: No Way Home, praising co-star Alfred Molina. Molina, he said, was given more freedom this time around because his suit was CGI and not practical. While in many cases, practical effects add something special to a scene, in Molina’s case, working with a puppeteer for every arm was a lot to coordinate. Thank God for technology.
Holland also delved into how he really wanted Spider-Man to become this generation’s Marty McFly. He likened Tony Stark’s relationship with Peter Parker to Marty and Doc Brown’s interactions. An apt comparison. He also gave a shout to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as a great Spidey inspiration. Guess you’d better add those onto your list of movies to watch before No Way Home. Generally, Holland spoke about how the Spider-Man movies have a great coming-of-age, light-hearted feeling to them. Which really feels unique juxtaposed with the superhero narrative.
Among coughs and choking noises, Tom Holland shared stories about overacting his body movements in order to communicate emotion without the use of his face. He also mentioned Robert Downey Jr. several times. And got emotional while reminiscing about how RDJ gifted his brother the original Iron Man helmet. Or maybe that was just the Scoville level breaking Apollo hot sauce.
Tom Holland, you earned our respect on Hot Ones. You really did.