Marvel’s Tom Holland Once Claimed He Did His Own Stunts After a Painful Workout With Jake Gyllenhaal

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tom Holland plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Holland has appeared as the character in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. He will also star in the upcoming MCU film Spider-Man: No Way Home.

In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Holland starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, who played the villain Quentin Beck/Mysterio. Holland and Gyllenhaal became close friends while filming the movie, and Holland faced a particularly tough workout with Gyllenhaal when he tried to compete against his co-star.

Tom Holland appeared on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’

Spider-Man: Far From Home premiered on June 26, 2019. To promote the movie, Holland appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on June 24, 2019.

“Have you seen any of the movie?” Colbert asked Holland. “It’s pretty good.”

“No, I have seen the movie,” Holland told him.

Colbert then tried to bait Holland into spoiling the movie, saying, “You know the part I really loved? When it’s revealed that —”

“I’m actually British,” Holland joked.

During the episode, Colbert also brought up Holland’s friendship with Gyllenhaal.

“We love each other,” Holland told Colbert.

Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal are competitive

On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Holland explained that while he and Gyllenhaal were promoting Spider-Man: Far From Home in China, they decided to go to the gym together.

Holland originally did not want to, but he ended up agreeing to go along with his Marvel co-star. Throughout the entire workout session, Gyllenhaal kept making the workout harder. Because he is so competitive, Holland tried to outdo Gyllenhaal no matter how difficult it was.

“… he goes, ‘You know, we’ll do a quick mile.’ I’m like, ‘A mile? Are we pressed for time? Come on, let’s do two,'” Holland shared.

He continued, “And there’s like a law in the gym that you can’t run slower than the guy next to you.”

Holland recounted that Gyllenhaal then insisted on increasing the incline on the treadmills and challenged Holland to run three miles. When Gyllenhaal suggested they run even more, Holland found himself getting competitive and decided they would run four miles.

The Marvel actor claimed he did his own stunts in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’

After they finished their workout, Holland and Gyllenhaal had to do press for Spider-Man: Far From Home. While Gyllenhaal acted normal, Holland found himself to be incredibly sore.

“… we’re doing press later that day and I can’t walk,” Holland said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Holland’s discomfort was so noticeable that a journalist asked him if anything was wrong.

“Genuinely, I’m sitting there and a journalist goes, ‘What’s wrong with you?'” Holland explained.

At this question, Holland decided to say he did all of his own stunts for Spider-Man: Far From Home instead of admitting he was sore from competing against Gyllenhaal.

“And I said, ‘Well I do all of my own stunts.’ Which I don’t by the way,” he said.

Spider-Man: No Way Home will be released on Dec. 17, 2021.