There are plenty of legit criticism to lob at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that casting department hasn't missed since 2008. It usually only takes one appearance for an actor to become the face of that character forever, even if, as in the case of Tom Holland's Spider-Man, that first appearance comes smackdab in the middle of another character's movie. Holland's Peter Parker swung into Captain America: Civil War in 2016 and immediately embodied the gawky enthusiasm of the role; audiences bought in even if, apparently, Tom Holland absolutely did not. In a recent chat with fellow MCU actor Daniel Kaluuya via Variety, Holland noted that he expected to get fired pretty much from the second Civil War rolled cameras.

Here's what he said:

“From the moment of shooting Civil War to Spider-Man: Homecoming, I was convinced they were going to fire me,” Holland says. “I don’t know why. Civil War hadn’t come out yet, and I just didn’t hear anything from anyone. I can’t really explain it. It was awful, but they didn’t — obviously. It’s been crazy, mate. I’ve loved every minute of it.”

According to Holland, the self-doubt was mostly a result of Marvel Studio's tendencies to keep their decisions in the dark, even from its actors. The audition process to earn the Spider-Man role sounds like a six-month process of getting ghosted by the biggest studio in the world. (Holland only found out he got the part after checking the internet, at which point he smashed his computer in glee.)

“It’s weird. The audition process was horrible. It was seven months of auditioning. I must’ve done six auditions, and they don’t tell you anything," Holland said, then continued:

“There was me and six other kids, and [Robert] Downey [Jr.] was there, so we all tested with Downey, which was crazy,” Holland says. “It’s the best audition I’ve ever done, him and I were riffing off each other. My agents told me that Marvel likes you to learn the words exactly — you can’t improvise. And then, on the first take, Downey just completely changed the scene. We started riffing with each other, and I mean, to sound like a bit of a dick, I rang my mum afterward and was like, ‘I think I’ve got it.’”

Fast-forward a bit, and Holland is currently set to star in a third Spider-Man movie directed by Jon Watts and co-starring every single person to ever appear in a Marvel movie. (Give or take.) For more on the actor's non-Spidey career, here's the trailer for the dramatic Russo Brothers thriller, Cherry.