That Time Tom Holland Went Undercover To Prepare For Spider-Man: Homecoming

Tom Holland's preparation for his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming didn't just involve getting into shape and perfecting his New York accent, he also had to adjust to being an American student. But while you probably assumed this would have been the easiest aspect of his training, it actually caused Tom Holland some concern, because the British and American school systems are wildly different. Tom Holland was so bothered by this aspect of the shoot that he actually went undercover in an American high school for a few days. He's now been recalling his brief time as a student, revealing that he had an alias and everything. Tom Holland explained,

It was a joke I made to Marvel that I wanted to go to a high school undercover to experience what New York high school is really like. They took it very seriously. I went to school for three days and went undercover. I put on an American accent. My name was Ben Perkins. The problem is that Bronx School of Science is for geniuses. You can't just join halfway through. You have to go through an extensive exam process. A lot of the students were very confused about why I was there, and I think a lot of the teachers were too. So the teachers kept testing me and asking me questions, and believe me, I am by no means a scientist. It was fun and I learned a lot about schools.

Because he was surrounded by some of New York's brightest young intellects, it sounds as though Tom Holland spent most of his time at the school just looking incredibly stupid. Hopefully, in between classes, he found the time to go through the rigmarole that most American students encounter. Like asking a girl on a date in front of everyone and then being rejected, eating borderline gruel that's been made by a chain-smoking lunch lady, and wrongly getting detention from a crusty old teacher. If he didn't do at least one of the above, then it was a giant waste of time.

Tom Holland couldn't resist the opportunity to tell one his new pals at the school that he was actually Spider-Man, in case you were wondering. Unfortunately this exchange didn't go well too well for the actor, per what he told Variety. That's because after his declaration she immediately assumed that he was insane.

I told one person on the last day and it spread like wildfire. This girl was like, 'What's your deal?' And I said, 'I'm Spider-Man.' She didn't believe me. She just thought I was a nutter.