Currently, we have had more British actors playing Spider-Man than Americans. Which is unusual, as Peter Parker is a proud son of Queens, New York. And yet, when it comes time to cast a new Spidey for an on-screen adventure, studios prefer to train Brits to speak like Yanks than they do to hire red-blooded Americans who fit into the spandex. This leads to comical issues on set, as when Tom Holland realizes that he has to re-do an entire scene from the new Spider-Man: Homecoming because he let his native English accent slip. Holland recalls:
There is one scene---I guess [dialect coach] Rick [Lipton] wasn't there that day -- where I went full English. And for some reason, no one picked up on it. And we're watching the movie, like going through it, like picking stuff out we had to change, and re-record. And I walk into this sandwich shop like, 'Ello mate, you aright?' He's like, 'What you want,' I'm like 'Pickles please!' and this and that [all in my London accent]. I was watching and was like, 'You do know I'm speaking with an English accent?' They were like, 'Really?'... So, they had to like cut it so you don't see my face as I say hello because... my accent was pure English.
Tom Holland, the current Peter Parker in the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe, was talking about the highs and lows of playing Spider-Man with the BBC. And maybe because he was sharing stories with a UK local, he slips in this great story about how easy it is, as an actor, to fall back into your native tongue, even though you are supposed to be playing a kid from the outer boroughs of New York City. For the most part, Holland does an impressive job of maintaining his American accent (though you can hear it wavering a few times in Homecoming -- listen for the beats when you see the movie this weekend). And when it ends up being chunks of dialogue, as it was in this sandwich shop scene, they have to recut the footage to work around this issue.
The whole interview is informative. Give it a listen right here. It's spoiler free!
Spider-Man: Homecoming is finally here. In the new movie, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returns home from fighting in Marvel's on-screen version of the Civil War, and must adjust to a quieter life in Queens. Only, the presence of The Vulture (Michael Keaton) means that Spidey still has some crime-fighting to do.
We have a complete rundown on everything you need to know about Spider-Man: Homecoming right here. And you can also head over here if you want to know details about the Upcoming Marvel Movies we have in our future.
