I got to attend the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer launch fan event this evening in Los Angeles and not only did that mean I was one of the very first to see the new trailer for the film, but we were also treated to a conversation with the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland. Making the event even more of a thrill, the Q&A was moderated by none other than Collider Movie Club’s Coy Jandreau!
The new movie leans hard into the multiverse with Peter trying to fix what happened at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. His identity is exposed and he’s labeled “Public Enemy #1” after being accused of killing Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio. Peter then turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help, desperate for things to go back to the way they were. Trouble is, when Strange casts the necessary spell, it opens the door to the multiverse which, of course, includes characters from past Spider-Man film series like Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock.
Holland couldn’t share much about the film during the conversation — and did a mighty fine job not letting anything slip — but he did go into detail when answering one fan-submitted question. Here’s what Holland said when asked which MCU villain was his favorite to go face-to-face with:
“I think my favorite has to be Alfred Molina. Working with him on this film was so fun because he was so blown away by all the technological advancements that filmmaking has made, you know? Back in the day … the arms that he used to have were puppeteered by four different people and nowadays obviously we don’t do that anymore because it’s very time consuming so it’s all done with CG, and watching him be very free as Doc Ock was really kind of rewarding because, back in the day, if he wanted to go over here, he’d have to tell four different people, ‘Guys, I‘m gonna step over here and then you follow me and then you get this one to do that.’ So to see him kind of have the freedom to bring Doc Ock back to life in a new way was amazing.”
So yes, Alfred Molina did have more freedom playing Dr. Otto Octavius in some respects, but at times, he was at the mercy of something called a toothpick rig. Here’s how Holland explained it:
“He was on this thing called a toothpick rig, which is like a long crane, on one end is counter balance weights and on the other end is a platform and Fred would stand on that platform and then they would push him through the set and it would simulate the legs carrying him. But what was funny is is that he didn’t have control over where he went. So we’d be fighting each other, I’d be webbing him and he’d be hitting me with his arms — it looks ridiculous on the day. It’s not cool at all — and they’d go, ‘Cut,’ and he’d go, ‘So Tom, how was your weekend? What have you been up to?’ And then all of a sudden, he would just sort of take off, and he’d continue talking to me, ‘I’m sorry, dear boy. I’ve got to go over here. I’ve got to reset.’ For me, working with Fred was a real honor.”
Looking to hear even more from the Q&A? You’re in luck! We’ve got the full conversation for you in the video at the top of this article!
Spider-Man: No Way Home is due out in theaters on December 17th.