Why Tom Holland Regrets Gaining Weight for ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’
Tom Holland – the man responsible for bringing Peter Parker / Spider-Man to life in true teenage form – has been the subject of great media attention since Avengers: Endgame premiered. As the first film to follow the ultimate conclusion to a decade long saga, the expectations surrounding Spider-Man: Far From Home are quite high.
Tom Holland has been praised for his take on the quick-tongued, brainiac with a mental store of cinematic trivia for quite some time. However, the actor behind the role explained, during an interview with Margaret Gardiner that –as much as he loves the intense fan reactions to each MCU film – the pressure is always on. He must consistently deliver, and each day on set is as equally pivotal as the next.
During his interview with Margaret Gardiner, Tom Holland discussed playing Peter Parker, the soon-to-be-released Spider-Man: Far From Home, as well as his fitness and food regimen for the most recent installment. Tom Holland put on weight for his latest Spidey outing; however, he didn’t seem too happy about it.
Tom Holland talks gaining weight for ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home:’ “I wouldn’t do [it] again”
During his interview, Tom Holland discussed gaining weight to play an older, stronger Spider-Man. Holland stated:
“On this one, obviously Spider-Man and Peter Parker is older, he’s stronger, he’s fitter. So, I tried to get into better shape than I did for the first one, and I ended up putting on quite a bit of weight. So, I was a lot bulkier in this one then I was in this first one. Which, I think, in hindsight, I wouldn’t do again…I didn’t enjoy the bulking process, and I don’t think I looked in better shape. I just was a bit thicker and a bit chubbier in the face a little bit.”
Margaret Gardiner
After the interviewer comments “all that hard work, and it didn’t pay off?” Holland explains that he should have just done some more running. Holland said that it’s hard for him to put weight on; thus, he didn’t do any cardio work while training. As a result, when scenes in the most recent film were cardiovascularly demanding, he struggled, stating “Whenever I had to do cardio, I was incredibly unfit.”
Based on Tom Holland’s comments, it appears that he wasn’t happy with his appearance in Spider-Man: Far From Home, yet also didn’t love the way he felt (in terms of his health and ability on-set).
Moving forward, we will likely see Holland return to the slimmer look seen in Homecoming, as this is how the actor feels more comfortable. Props to Holland for owning this. Given that most of the actors behind male superheroes must bulk-up, it’s nice that Holland felt comfortable explaining why he was unhappy in the body that Far From Home demanded he attain.
Tom Holland talks Spider-Man: Far From Home: What was Challenging and what was satisfying?
Tom Holland explained to the interviewer that, the biggest challenge while working on Far From Home is the “sheer workload.” Knowing how big the film is bound to be means you have “no real room to mess up,” explained the young actor.
Holland, while wishing there was an “off day” every now again, called the film as a “labor of love.” He is always thrilled at the reception and is “so excited” to attend fan events.
The amount of people who love and support these films is unparalleled, and being part of such a widespread phenomenon is an honor and a privilege, one that Holland is well aware of.
