Tom Holland has received high praise from fellow Spider-Man: No Way Home co-star Willem Dafoe. The latest entry in the MCU, No Way Home has been a phenomenon since its release in mid-December 2021, becoming Sony's highest-grossing film and sitting in eighth place on the list of highest-grossing films of all time. Notably, this has all been achieved during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Holland as he continues his role as the MCU's friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man/Peter Parker and has to face villains from Sam Raimi and Marc Webb's previous Spider-Man films. These iconic villains include Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and, of course, the return of Dafoe as the Green Goblin.
Dafoe was the first-ever villain of the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, creating a very memorable character in the process. He reprised the role for Spider-Man: No Way Home, quickly becoming the most anticipated and fan-favourite antagonist of the film as he tested Holland's Peter Parker to his limit. The talented Dafoe returned as the Goblin at the request that he would be allowed to perform his own stunts. Dafoe's Goblin switched up his look as well, initially arriving in the full Goblin suit before deciding to go maskless for the rest of the film.
In a recent interview with GQ, Dafoe talked to the magazine about his latest projects, praising Holland along the way. The actor has been a social media favorite lately, starring in a fashion YouTuber's New York video in which he is seen showing off his fashion choices, which has since gone viral on TikTok as well. Dafoe acknowledged the praise surrounding his return as the Green Goblin, as well as handing some over to Holland, citing the British actor's commitment to his superhero role.
“He reserves special praise for Spider-Man 3.0 Tom Holland. I admire greatly his discipline and his commitment to the role. And physically, he was incredible”
Holland has been praised highly for his performance as Spider-Man before by many actors, but accolades from Dafoe himself must be a very important compliment. The veteran actor has been performing for the past 40 years, becoming an influential figure in Hollywood. Whether it's Nuidis Vulko in the DCEU's Aquaman, or Thomas Wake in the Oscar-winning The Lighthouse, Dafoe has shown versatility and talent in his acting career, fully deserving to be one of the most recognised actors in the film industry. Dafoe has also been tipped by many to be the perfect version of Batman's notorious villain The Joker, with fan-art being released recently on social media showing how Dafoe fits perfectly for the role.
Dafoe's next project is the Guillemero del Toro-directed Nightmare Alley, a film based on the 1946 novel of the same name. He will star alongside other big names such as Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette and Bradley Cooper. As for Holland, Uncharted comes out next month on February 18, in which he plays the lead role of Nathan Drake alongside Mark Wahlberg's Victor Sullivan. Despite the two actors being far apart in age, both Dafoe and Holland have made an incredible impact on the film industry in their own way, and having them face off in Spider-Man: No Way Home was clearly not just a delight to fans, but to the great Dafoe himself, too.
Source: GQ