Tom Holland has revealed that he never crossed paths with JK Simmons on set of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The MCU sequel sees Holland’s Peter Parker tackling villains from across the multiverse including Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2 and Jamie Foxx’s Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With many fans convinced that former Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will also appear, the hype for the upcoming superhero film is at an all-time-high.
Also returning for the new film is Simmons’ iconic version of Daily Bugle media mogul J. Jonah Jameson. The Whiplash actor played the role in the original Sam Raimi-directed trilogy between 2002 and 2007, and is seen as the definitive, irreplaceable live-action version of the character. Simmons made a surprise comeback in the post-credits of 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, sporting a new look, but maintaining his hatred of the wall-crawling vigilante. In No Way Home, Jameson will be continuing to use the MCU’s version of the Daily Bugle; a modern online news network, to expose the identity of Spider-Man and his friends.
Despite this, Holland has confirmed that he never got to meet the actor on set. In a video interview with Cinema Blend, Holland admits “I’ve actually never met J.K Simmons”. Seemingly ruling the two out of any one-on-one interactions in the new movie, the actor adds “there was a moment in this film where we share a look where I’m on the side of a building but that’s it”. The scene he talks of may be as simple as Parker watching the Bugle broadcast, as seen in many of the trailers, or it could alternatively be another new moment from later in the film. Either way Holland seems to have confirmed that his Peter won’t be getting a personal grilling from J.J.J any time soon. Read his full quote below:
“Do you know what, I’ve actually never met J.K Simmons. We’ve never had a scene together, there was a moment in this film where we share a look where I’m on the side of a building but that’s it. Ive never actually had the pleasure to meet him.”
Simmons’ iconic character is just as exciting of a comeback as the multiple villains for fans of the original movies. Like Green Goblin and Doc Ock, he has featured heavily in the film’s recent marketing, including a TV spot where he’s seen encountering Garfield’s version of The Lizard. The long-awaited return has also led Simmons to reflect on the heartbreaking cancellation of Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 back in 2011. With this new J. Jonah seemingly part of the main MCU, and sporting a slightly different personality, there’s a chance Simmons will stick around in the franchise, even with the actor currently busy reprising his role as Commissioner Gordon in DC’s Batgirl.
Fans may be disheartened to learn that Simmons’ Jameson doesn’t get to express his iconic wit directly to Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of him interacting with another Parker. If the rumors are true, Simmons could be reunited with his original co-star Maguire for one last table-side debate. Alternatively, current Spidey star Holland could be twisting the truth slightly. As has been the case before in the MCU, sometimes CGI is used to mask or cover-up huge moments, and even to insert characters or objects into scenes they never featured in originally. Perhaps there is still hope that J.J.J could share a moment with the masked wall-crawler after all, even if the talented actors never got the chance themselves.
Source: Cinema Blend