Turns out, Jon Bernthal had a hand in swinging Tom Holland into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the Punisher star revealed that he and Holland helped film each other’s MCU audition tapes while working together on the 2017 film Pilgrimage. Holland was vying for the coveted role of Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, while Bernthal was eyeing the part of Frank Castle in The Punisher.
“We did Pilgrimage about seven or eight years ago,” Bernthal recalled. “That was where both Tom did his audition for Spider-Man and I did my audition for Punisher. We actually made each other’s audition tapes on that film.”
Bernthal fondly remembered Holland’s unshakeable belief that he would land the role of the web-slinger. “He just had this belief,” he said. “He’d say, ‘I am Spider-Man.’ I was like, ‘I mean, you’re super talented and all, but the odds are kind of against you, but yeah, let’s make the tape."
The Walking Dead actor jokingly claimed a bit of credit for Holland’s casting thanks to one key suggestion he made while filming the audition. “I gave him the note, ‘Tom, maybe you should run up that wall and do a double backflip and then start the scene,’” Bernthal said with a grin. “He was like, ‘Yeah, you think I should do that? ‘That’s not too much?’ I said, ‘I don’t think any of these other fools are able to do that.’ And he in fact did that.”
While he didn’t take full credit, Bernthal added with a smirk, “It’s not that I take responsibility for him, but you know… like a little something.”
Holland went on to debut as Spider-Man in 2016’s Civil War and quickly became a fan favourite, headlining three solo films and appearing in several major MCU crossovers. As for Bernthal, his portrayal of Frank Castle earned him critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase—making their joint audition session a surprisingly pivotal moment in Marvel casting history.