Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are currently gearing up for the release of the upcoming Marvel movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That blockbuster will star both Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal, but the two actors have shared a bond for years before their MCU project. And the Uncharted star recently shared a funny story about how a piece of lemon stopped Bernthal from a vow of silence he'd taken while filming another project.
It's a big summer for the two A-list actors, who are starring in both Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which is in theaters now. But they actually met while filming 2017's Pilgrimage, during which Bernthal went method and decided not to speak while playing a mute. During a recent appearance on Hot Ones, Holland shared a story about his co-star, offering:
When we worked together the first time, Jon was playing a mute in the movie. And I was his best friend in the movie, and like three or four weeks before we started shooting, we’d become good friends; we were hanging out, and all of a sudden, he’s like, ‘Listen dog, listen man, I’m gonna have to do this shit, I’m not gonna talk. I’m gonna go full fucking method, I’m not doing it. I’m gonna need your help; I’m gonna need to lean on your shoulder.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, whatever, man. If that’s what you want to do, that’s what you want to do.’
Despite the age gap between the two stars, it's clear that they hit it off immediately. In addition to helping each other audition for their Marvel roles, it sounds like Tom Holland was all too happy to be Jon Bernthal's voice in the midst of shooting Pilgrimage. And as the 30-year-old actor recalled, his buddy Jon started off pretty well with his vow of silence. As he put it:
And then for like two weeks, not a peep out of him. Right? And we all know Jon Bernthal; we all love Jon Bernthal. My man loves to talk, right?
So what went wrong? After all, plenty of actors use method acting to help stay in character. It turns out that things went awry when Holland and Bernthal went out to get a meal together. The Spider-Man actor shared how the two went to a restaurant together, where he was the only one who could speak with the wait staff. He went on:
So, we’re sat at a restaurant, and he’s writing down his food. These are regular restaurants in Ireland, and I’m having to be like ‘I’m sorry about my friend. He’s just a pretentious actor.’ And I’m like reading out his order.
This went on for some time, but one particular interaction between Tom Holland and a server ended up being the final straw in Jon Bernthal's vow of silence for Pilgrimage. It all came down to the request for lemon, which ended the method acting in one fell swoop. The story concludes with:
And then one day we were in a restaurant, and he had salmon, and he said to me, he wrote down, ‘Can you ask for some lemon for my salmon?’ …So to the lady, I said, ‘Can I have some lemon, please, for his salmon?’ Maybe she misheard me or something, so she came and brought this lemon and dropped it in his drink, in his water. And immediately, he’s like, ‘Alright, fuck it! I’m talking again!’
And just like that, the Punisher actor returned to the land of speaking. It's unclear how far into shooting Jon Bernthal's lemon-based revelation happened, but regardless, he still offered a great performance in the 2017 movie. And his friendship with Tom Holland is one that's still going strong to this day.
Bernthal and Holland can both be seen in The Odyssey, in theaters now. And they'll have yet another title together when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully we get to see these two buddies on screen more in upcoming Marvel movies.
