He won’t hold a spider, is ‘a bit of a loser’ in his love life, and can be trusted to put out the odd spoiler. And that disarming charm just adds to Tom Holland, who is back as the web-spinning wonder in Spider-Man: Far From Home . He chats about spiders, love, charity, and why it was important to change the storyline from the original films.
Anshul Chaturvedi (BOMBAY TIMES; June 19, 2019)

Think Harry Potter + spider. Think LOTR + spider. Think any of the dozen horror movies with names such as Arachnophobia, Infestation, Tarantula, Eight-legged Freaks, The Mist — all of them with not-so-friendly neighbourhood spiders. What comes to mind? Many words, of which, however, cool is certainly not one.

How, then, does a spider sustain this cool-ness over decades and what does Spider-Man Tom Holland make of it? Don’t most people around him actually find spiders, well… “…scary? Yeah! Well, I mean, he can stick to walls, he can climb walls. And I guess the way his fingers climb, is quite spider-like. And… he has a thing called ‘spider-sense’, which is basically him being able to pre-empt when something dangerous is gonna happen, which lots of spiders actually do have. But I think it’s quite cool that we’ve made spiders a positive thing — because I don’t like spiders! I’m terrified of spiders, man! We were doing some press the other day and they had a big tarantula there, and they asked me if I would hold it for a picture and I said, naaah!”

For a moment, one ponders whether asking Spider-Man about how active he is on the web will be too cheesy, and as better sense prevails, one lets it be. After all, Tom is still just 22; is the youngest actor to play this role, being cast at just 19. Apart from being aware of the “huge responsibility” to the superhero’s fans, he’s also just a youngster who is still excited to put on the Spider-Man costume. On which, here’s the next question: As an actor, which transition is more challenging for him — from the teenager to the superhero, or vice versa?

When he put on or takes off the costume in moments, with one change, he expands, becomes a larger persona; in the other one, he abruptly hits a kill switch and is an awkward kid again, in seconds.

Tom takes a moment to respond to this one. “I’m a hyper-energetic person anyway, so I don’t find the transition that difficult. Sometimes I do find the attention quite scary and quite overwhelming. But… when I put the suit on, something comes over me... like this childlike attitude, this feeling of happiness, and I guess that is kind of emulated in the film. I guess the transition, the one from Peter to the superhero, is just basically me being excited to be in a Spider-Man costume.”

As Tom is bombarded with queries by the global press at the promotions for Spider-Man: Far From Home, he displays Spider-Man-like dexterity, always light on his feet and quick to leap when necessary. The press recurrently asks him if he thinks he is a role model, to which he says, “When I grew up watching the Spider-Man movies, I really looked up to Andrew (Garfield) and Tobey (Maguire, who have played Spider-Man before). So for me now, I’m aware that there are probably little kids around the world who’re looking up to me. So I have a huge responsibility to be a good role model. And I really try my best to do that, with my charity work that I do with my family, just the way I hold myself in public, and the way I treat other people — I really try and set a good example for people, and it’s an important part of the job — because I’m playing a superhero, so I should try my best off screen to try to be a positive light for young people. I love playing this role, and if I never escape this role and I play Peter Parker till I’m 80, I’d love to do that. Not that that will happen. But I recognise how lucky I am.” Along the way, he lets drop that his brother’s charity work extends to India and that he’d love to visit Mumbai when he can.

He is then asked about how he feels about stepping away from the traditional story. He likes it, clearly. “I think it’s really important. There’s a fantastic picture of myself and the cast on a boat in Venice, and it’s the most diverse group of people you’ve ever seen, ever. I think we’re representing our generation, and our generation now is incredibly diverse and inclusive, and that’s such an important thing. Jon Watts (director) was really the first person to get that message across. The fact that we changed Mary Jane and Ned Leeds and Flash Thompson, I think is a really huge step forward in our industry, and I hope we can continue to do so in however many Spider-Man movies we make. Because I think it’s a really great positive thing for young people to see.”

Everyone wants to know about Peter and Mary Jane. He explains at length, patiently. “The relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane is very much that of high-school students, it’s not your big Hollywood romance, it’s not your typical romantic relationship. It’s very kidlike, he’s really nervous around her and she’s really nervous around him. They don’t know what to say, they try and hold hands but they’re too scared to. It’s very much like my love life, really. I’m a bit of a loser when it comes to that. But it was really sweet to try and bring that to life because everyone goes through that at some point, everyone at some point has a crush.”

And there’s more of teen pains than just the crush. “It used to be that superheroes fly and throw in some punches and it was all over. Now with characters like Peter Parker, he is only human, he’s only a boy who happens to have these crazy superpowers, and he doesn’t always know what to do with them. And in this film he wants to take a break from Spider-Man, after Avengers: Endgame he’s so tired, and he needs to take a break. But what he realises is that the responsibility of being Spider-Man is not something you can put down. So he slowly realises that his life is now going to be Spider-Man.”

He pauses occasionally, double-checking what he’s saying, wickedly pausing in a self-deprecating acknowledgment of having gained quite a reputation for giving away spoilers. “I don’t think I’ve done any spoilers on this tour yet, I’ve been really careful.”

And then explains where the branding comes from. It’s a fun anecdote. “What Kevin Feige (producer) likes to do when a film is released is, he rents a party bus, and we get all the producers and the directors and some of the actors and we drive around LA and go to different theatres and surprise the fans. I was given a microphone — this is at the time of Infinity War, and obviously at the end of Infinity War I die — and the writer said, this audience has just finished the movie. So I went in and said, ‘Don’t worry everyone, I’m still alive’. And everyone kind of looked at me blankly, and I thought, why is no one laughing? And I looked across and Kevin and Joe Russo (co-director) were like, shut up! And I was like, why? It’s fine, guys, I’m not actually dead! And, well, they hadn’t seen the movie yet and I spoiled the whole movie for a thousand people.”

That’s all right, Tom. You’ve made other movies so much fun for thousands more; safe to guess that thousand won’t hold it against you for long.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; January 21, 2015)


She’s the face that Zoya’s launching in DD but the actress has already signed a three film deal with Shoojit Sircar and John Abraham’s co-production. “She is working with A-listers in her first film but her performance will fetch her immense recognition and will get her noticed. She’s already been picked by John’s production house,” assured a source from the sets. And out of the three films,Sud has also finished shooting one, where she plays the lead.

Certainly happy about her progress, an excited Ridhima says, “Yes! I did. I’ve already finished shooting for the first one of the three films. It should be out this year after DDD. Shooting for that film was very different from shooting Zoya’s but it was fun nevertheless.” Ask her if she’s planned her third film already and she smiles back with a reply — “I am reading scripts for the future.”

While Ridhima is en route to stardom, here’s what you need to know about the debutante.

We’ve seen her before!
Now the name might not ring a bell but the face surely does! Being the face of several brands like Kaya and Ponds, Ridhima has already made her presence felt in the ad world. Add to that, a few ad campaigns she shot for Vodafone, Coca Cola, Titan and e-bay to name a few! Remember the pretty faced biker girl in the Ponds Dreamflower ad? You’ve hit the bull’s eye!

Not her maiden attempt!
Ridhima might take her baby steps in B-Town with Zoya’s Dil Dhadakne Do but she’s not a newbie when it comes to films. Prior to DDD, Ridhima has been a part of the production team of the Hollywood film Eat, Pray, Love and has also worked in the Oscar-nominated Ballad Of Rustom. Not just that, she’s also been a part of the Dubai segment of The Owner that holds Guinness Book of World Record for being a film directed by 25 film makers!

Spiderman’s classmate!
Incidentally, Sud took acting lessons from Leonardo Di Caprio’s acting coach Larry Moss and guess who her classmate was — Tobey Maguire!

Ridhima Sud, the new kid on the block, talks about her Bollywood debut in Zoya Akhtar's next, her brush with the Oscars and Spider-Man Tobey Maguire.
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 28, 2014)

Years as a model, international projects, acting classes from Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio's coach Larry Moss, and now a Bollywood debut helmed by Zoya Akhtar--Ridhima Sud looks set for a good start in tinseltown.

The Delhi-born actress, who has been cast in Dil Dhadakne Do (DDD) along with Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh, started her career in front of the camera years ago with a commercial for a popular brand of skincare clinics. The journey then took a global turn.

"I started modelling while still at New York University. I had done a few advertisements when the casting director for the Ballad Of Rustom called me. I met the film's director, Ajita Suchitra Veera, and signed the project the same day. It was in 'contention' for the Oscars this year in the Best Picture category," says Ridhima.

The actress, who was christened Ritz by a French friend who could not pronounce her name, went on to act in Kajarya, a much talked-about film on crime against women in India.

Then Zoya came calling. "I've been stalking her since I was five. Just kidding!" laughs Ridhima. "She personally took my audition for DDD. I think I said yes even before they offered me the film."

She adds, "Zoya is my favourite director. She knows exactly what she wants and allowed a newbie like me to take creative liberties."

Ridhima is reluctant to talk about her character in the film but she reveals, "I can't say who I am starring opposite but most of my scenes are with Ranveer."

She is equally upbeat about her other co-stars during the "incredible" shoot. "Priyanka and Anil (Kapoor) were particularly encouraging," she says, adding that the Indian cast and crew "were much warmer" than foreign teams.

While in New York, Ridhima was a student of Larry Moss, acting coach to Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio. "I was impressed by the fact that a successful actor like Tobey would be in class with newbies in the pursuit of perfecting his acting skills," she says.

Now she has friends in Bollywood. "I'd ideally like to live in multiple cities. I see myself as a child of the world so why make one city my home," she quips.