Job hunting is hard for anyone, so you can see why landing a gig with one of Hollywood’s biggest studios would be daunting. For any actor looking to nab a role in a Marvel project, there are lots of steps they’ll have to take to secure such a casting. Even some of Hollywood’s biggest stars find themselves wait-listed for a role, but there are hundreds of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who need someone to oversee them. So, when Jon Bernthal and Tom Holland were trying to get Marvel Studios to look their way, the pair helped each other with their auditions.
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So, if you’re pleased with Marvel’s picks for Spider-Man and the Punisher, then you better be grateful for their old-fashioned teamwork.
In an interview with Variety, Bernthal opened up about how he worked with Holland to help the British actor with his Spider-Man audition.
“I can’t say enough good things about Tom,” he started. “He’s got strength and talent and fortitude that’s not only remarkable for someone his age, but for someone period.”
“We were all part of him nailing and tracking down the Spider-Man role. We got to see his determination. I’ve never seen anything like that โ how hard he fought for it โ and that’s how he approaches his work everyday.”
Bernthal helped Holland with his auditions when the two were working together on the film Pilgrimage. The pair would film audition material during breaks, and they helped each other deal with the stress that came with these iconic roles. Bernthal said he would read lines off-camera for Holland as he did one of his many Spider-Man tapes. And, in return, Holland even acted in a scene for Bernthal’s Punisher audition.
“They use mock scenes, but it was a man telling this young boy about shooting a deer โ describing the moment of killing a deer, I believe,” Bernthal said, describing the scene he shot with Holland. “We had to play that the deer was there and I see him getting ready to kill it. He was off camera and we were like, ‘get in here and do it with me.’”
Of course, the pair’s partnership seemed to work out in their favor. Holland was the lucky actor selected to bring Peter Parker to life, and Bernthal suited up as the Punisher in Marvel’s Daredevil. The former actor will get his own solo superhero venture this summer when Spider-Man: Homecoming drops. And, by next year, fans are expecting The Punisher‘s standalone series to get its release.
A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming.Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine โ distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man โ but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.
The cast features Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, Logan Marshall-Green, and Marisa Tomei.
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Spider-Man: Homecoming will be released on July 7, 2017.
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