Jon Bernthal claims a "tinge of credit" for his pal Tom Holland's landing of the iconic role of Spider-Man. The two actors, who have graced screens in 'The Accountant 2' and 'Spider-Man' respectively, found themselves working together on the 2017 film 'Pilgrimage' at a time when they were both gearing up for auditions to play their respective Marvel characters. While Bernthal embodied The Punisher in the 2017 series, Holland made his debut as Spider-Man in 'Captain America: Civil War' a year prior.
"We did a film about seven or eight years ago," Bernthal reminisced during a Thursday appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', referring to 'Pilgrimage'. "That was where Tom auditioned for Spider-Man and I auditioned for Punisher. We actually made each other's audition tapes while working on that film."
As they embarked on the audition journey, Bernthal recalled Holland's unwavering "focus" and "belief," emphasizing that the younger actor "really believed he was going to get it" and often proclaimed, "I'm Spider-Man." Bernthal playfully responded, "'There's probably a lot of people that want to be Spider-Man. I mean, you're super talented, but the odds are stacked against you. However, let's make the tape,'" adding, "He had this unyielding belief, and knowing him, there's no denying why he's become the movie star he is today."
The 'Daredevil: Born Again' actor jokingly took "a bit of credit" for Holland's success as the Marvel superhero, recalling how he encouraged the latter to showcase his athletic prowess by incorporating a stunt into his audition tape. "I suggested, 'Tom, maybe you should run up that wall and do a double backflip before starting the scene.' And he was like, 'Yeah, you think I should do that? That's not too much?' I replied, 'I doubt any of the other candidates can pull that off,' and boy, did he prove me right," Bernthal chuckled. "I don't take full responsibility for his success, but I'll take a little something for it."
Jimmy Kimmel echoed Bernthal's sentiments, praising Holland as "the best Spider-Man ever," to which Bernthal agreed wholeheartedly, "Ever, without a shadow of a doubt."
Although both Bernthal and Holland continue to shine as Marvel stars, they will soon reunite on the big screen for the first time since 2017 in Christopher Nolan's upcoming feature, 'The Odyssey.' The film boasts an ensemble cast, featuring Matt Damon, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, among others.
