Tom Holland Was a Little Drunk When He Helped Save Spider-Man and the MCU
Peter Parker is many things—Spider-Man, Avenger, Tony Stark’s protege — but he is also still in high school and not yet of legal drinking age. Luckily, Tom Holland is 23 years old (and the drinking age is lower in his home country of England anyway), which means he was able to drunkenly answer the phone call that helped saved Spider-Man’s place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night, Tom Holland revealed his exact role in bringing Sony and Disney’s Spider-Man custody battle to an end. Even casual superhero fans probably know that Sony owns the film rights to Spider-Man, and he only appeared in the Disney-owned MCU because the two companies had struck a deal. When that deal ended in August, there were weeks of speculation that Spider-Man: Far From Home would be the web-slinger’s last appearance in the MCU, despite its cliffhanger ending.
Luckily—or, perhaps, inevitably, depending on how cynical you are—Disney and Sony were able to agree on a new deal, and Spider-Man will return. In October, Disney CEO Bob Iger told Kimmel that the deal happening in part because Holland reached out to him and convinced him to give bargaining another shot. (“He cried on the phone,” Iger said, perhaps only joking a little).
It’s possible that Holland was so emphatic and passionate during the phone call because he was a little drunk, the actor explained.
“I asked if I could get Bob’s email, because I just wanted to say thank you,” Holland recalled. “I just wanted to say, ‘This has been an amazing five years of my life. Thank you for changing my life in the best way and I hope that we can work together in the future.”
Iger got back to him and they planned to have a chat on the phone sometime soon after. When, exactly, was up to Iger, because, well, he’s the CEO of Disney.
“You don’t give Bob Iger a schedule. You’re like, ‘Whenever, Bob!'” Holland continued.
“So, two, three days go by and then my family and I went to the pub quiz in our local town. We’re doing a quiz and I’m three pints in, haven’t eaten much, and I get a phone call from an unknown number and I have a feeling. I’m like, ‘I think this is Bob Iger but I’m drunk.'”
Holland took the call, and he admitted that he was “really emotional because I felt like it was all coming to an end.” That lines up with Iger’s (presumably sober) version of the story.
“It was clear that he cared so much and actually we care a lot about him,” Iger said back in October. “He’s a great Spider-Man. I actually felt for him, and it was clear that the fans wanted this to happen.”
Iger got in touch with Sony’s Tom Rothman after the call, and the two corporate giants were able to find a way to keep Spidey in the MCU. (“We had a really good plan with Sony,” Holland took time to tell Kimmel. “The future of Spider-Man was still really bright, but it would have been a shame to take him out of the MCU.”)
Spider-Man will appear in a third, Sony-produced solo movie in the MCU, and he will also appear in another Marvel-made entry, similar to his Avengers appearances. Holland and Spider-Man fans can drink to that, even if Peter still can’t.
Tom Holland was first cast as Spider-Man at 18 and now, at only 23, is among the brightest stars in the entire superhero universe—not to mention one of the highest-grossing actors of 2019. So why's he hiding out on a golf course with Zach Baron?
Sony and Marvel have agreed Tom Holland's web slinger will appear in at least two more MCU films.
Originally Appeared on GQ
