Spider-Man Star Tom Holland Opens Up On Having Robert Downey Jr. As His Mentor

It may have taken a little while for Tony Stark to warm up to Peter Parker within the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland had no problem striking up a bond behind-the-scenes. The Spider-Man star recently admitted that he’s a huge admirer of Dwayne Johnson, but there only seems to be one person acting as the 23 year-old’s off-screen mentor.

As someone who grew up in the movie business, has a career stretching back decades and has experienced virtually all of the highs and lows that come with a lengthy Hollywood life, there are few better people to help an up-and-coming actor than Robert Downey Jr. Holland knows this, too, and tries to get as much advice and inspiration from the former Iron Man as possible.

“Sometimes you don’t even need to ask for advice. You can just take a step back and watch people you admire. The amazing thing about RDJ is that he’s arguably the most famous movie star on the planet. The biggest movie star on the planet, you know? But, he’s always early, he knows every crew member’s name, he always knows his lines. He’s professional, he’s kind, he’s caring.”

The two seem to have struck up quite the friendship, and even went hiking together when Holland was all over the headlines following the breakdown in the relationship between Marvel Studios and Sony, which resulted in Spider-Man being forcibly withdrawn from the MCU. Having only appeared in nine movies in his entire career that weren’t part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having such a high-profile mentor also makes it easier to adjust to living your life in the public eye as part of the world’s biggest franchise.

“He kind of talked to me and took me under his wing a little bit,” said Holland. “Entering the Marvel Universe is daunting, it’s a big process. I mean, sitting in front of 5000 people, this is something you normally do. That’s on a regular day occurrence. The thing I’ve learned from him, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, is that just because you’re at the top, doesn’t mean you can be a d*ck.”

Tom Holland certainly seems to have his head on straight, and has handled the continued speculation and rumors surrounding the future of Spider-Man incredibly well so far, given how it seems to be the only thing anyone wants to ask him about. Being able to rely on someone like Robert Downey Jr. for advice must be a great thing to have, then, given that he’s seen and done almost everything in the business.