Tom Holland reveals Robert Downey Jr saved his first Marvel scene from being 'cut significantly'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Tom Holland recently shared a heartfelt story about how Robert Downey Jr stood up for him during his first experience filming for Marvel.

The 28-year-old British actor, who made his debut as Spider-Man in 'Captain America: Civil War' in 2016, reflected on how Downey’s intervention helped him make a lasting impression.

Robert Downey Jr saved Tom Holland's main 'Spider-Man' scene

Tom Holland’s character was initially scripted to have eight pages of dialogue in the film.

However, when he arrived on set to film a pivotal scene alongside Downey, his lines had been significantly cut down.

Speaking on 'The Rich Roll Podcast', Holland explained: “My scene had been cut down significantly from what I’d done in the audition, to now a page and a half or maybe even two pages.”

As they started shooting, it was Downey who noticed something was off, according to The Independent. 

“Downey piped up and was like, ‘Where’d all the kid’s lines go?’” Holland recalled.

When the directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, explained that the cuts were made to streamline the film’s script and conserve time, Downey insisted that Holland’s lines were too important to leave out.

“Downey was like, ‘No, no, no. You’re gonna want to spend some time on this,’” Holland shared, recalling Downey’s words.

“He said, ‘Let’s shoot the whole thing from the audition. You can always cut it, but you’d wanna have it'.” Thanks to Downey’s advocacy, the scene was fully filmed, and the final cut included all of Holland’s original lines. “So, I owe that to him,” Holland said.

Tom Holland shares hesitations about returning for 'Spider-Man 4'

Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man was met with widespread acclaim, and he went on to star in the standalone films 'Spider-Man: Homecoming', 'Spider-Man: Far From Home', and 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'.

Looking ahead, Holland hinted at a potential 'Spider-Man 4', revealing that he and Zendaya have already seen a script.

However, he admitted it still “needs work.”

Speaking about the challenges of making another film within Marvel’s vast cinematic universe, Holland explained: “One of the things is that, with Marvel, your film is a small cog in a large machine."

"That machine has got to keep running. You have to make sure you can fit into that timeline at the right time to benefit the bigger picture.”

Despite being optimistic, Holland expressed some hesitations about a fourth installment.

“There’s a bit of a stigma about the fourth one in all franchises,” he said, reflecting on the pressure of continuing a beloved series.

“I feel like we hit a home run with our first franchise and there’s a part of me that wants to walk away with my head held high and pass the baton to the next lucky kid that gets to bring this character to life.”