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Tom Holland says Robert Downey Jr. helped preserve the longer version of his first Spider-Man scene in Captain America: Civil War. Holland recalled that the scene had been cut from eight audition pages to roughly a page and a half or two pages for filming, until Downey urged the directors to shoot the full version.
What Holland says happened
Holland told the story during a conversation on The Rich Roll Podcast, published October 17, 2024 as episode #865. The scene was for Captain America: Civil War, released in 2016 and Holland’s first appearance as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In Holland’s account, the dialogue he had used for his audition filled eight pages. By the time the scene was being prepared for filming, he said, it had been reduced to “a page-and-a-half, or maybe two pages.” Holland recalled the Russo brothers explaining that the script was already 140 pages and they could not spend too much time on the scene. Those page counts are details from his recollection as reported by Us Weekly, not independently audited script statistics.
Downey’s intervention, in Holland’s telling
Holland said Downey noticed that the young actor’s lines had been cut and asked, “Where’s all the kid’s lines gone?” Holland recalled Downey then making the case to film the fuller scene: “No, no, no, you’re going to want to spend some time on this. Let’s shoot the whole thing from the audition. You can always cut it but you’d want to have it.”
#1 Best Overall
- Spider-Man [Tom Holland] begins to navigate his new identity as the web-slinging super hero under the watchful eye of his mentor Tony Stark.
Holland said the directors went ahead with the longer version. “They used all of it,” he said. “I owe that to him.” That is why the story is often summarized as Downey “saving” the scene: Holland credited him with persuading the filmmakers to capture the material before deciding what to trim.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the story establishes—and what it doesn’t
The account reaches the public through Holland’s 2024 podcast recollection and reports quoting it. It describes a decision to film the longer audition version, and Holland’s belief that the full material was used. It should not be read as independently verified production documentation of the script’s revision or the scene’s editing history.
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- Tom Holland stars as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in three unforgettable adventures ? HOMECOMING, FAR FROM HOME, and NO WAY HOME.
The anecdote is also about a specific scene in Captain America: Civil War, not a general account of Holland’s audition or of how every scene in the film was edited. Its central point is the practical value of filming more material: as Holland remembered Downey’s argument, footage could be cut later, but unfilmed lines could not be recovered in the edit.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever. Spider-Man [Tom Holland] begins to navigate his new identity as the web-slinging super hero under the watchful eye of his mentor Tony Stark.
Rank #4
- Spider-Man [Tom Holland] begins to navigate his new identity as the web-slinging super hero under the watchful eye of his mentor Tony Stark.
Rank #3
- Spider-Man [Tom Holland] begins to navigate his new identity as the web-slinging super hero under the watchful eye of his mentor Tony Stark.
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