Tom Holland and Zendaya, stars of the upcoming "Spider-Man: Brand New Day", reflected on their decade-long journey with the franchise while in Shanghai, noting the film's special ties to Chinese action cinema.
The film, set to hit theaters on Thursday, brings the duo back as Peter Parker and MJ, continuing a story that has evolved alongside their own lives.
In an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV), the co-stars expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from Chinese fans.
"We are so excited to be bringing 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' here in China. You guys will be some of the first people in the world to see the movie, so thank you for your love and support," said Holland.
"I think the fans are going to really appreciate and love (the film)," said Zendaya.
Looking back on the years they've spent with the characters, Holland said the journey has only grown more rewarding over time. He noted that as he and Zendaya have matured, so have their on-screen counterparts.
"It's been an amazing roller coaster, and it never ceases to amaze me how fruitful and wonderful this opportunity has been. I think in the ways that we have grown up, they have grown up," said Holland.
The actors grew up knowing the comic-book story and were both around just six years old when the first major Spider-Man feature film was released in 2002. Zendaya spoke about the unique privilege of passing on that experience.
"That's really special that we get to be a part of other people's childhood and other people's lives in such a special way."
The film also carries a distinct Chinese imprint. The second unit director and action choreographer, Peng Zhang, is a Chinese-born stunt coordinator from the renowned Jackie Chan Stunt Team. Holland, a longtime fan of Jackie Chan, said the collaboration brought an exciting new dimension to the film's action sequences.
"I've been a big fan of his. I love his movies. I think there's probably no one else in the movie business that has kind of created their own style in the way that Jackie has. So for us to bring a little bit of that into our film feels like a real honor. And when Peng came to London with his entire team and I first started seeing some of the pre-vis that they had put together, I knew that they were taking those fight scenes to another level," said Holland.
"And it was both really exciting and also quite daunting, because they were really tough, those scenes. They were really, really difficult to shoot, and they took weeks and weeks and weeks. But when you see the movie, there is a real imprint of Chinese culture in those sequences, and it's really exciting to meld those worlds together," the actor added.
Zendaya also highlighted the team's attention to detail, particularly their effort to recreate classic comic book covers with painstaking precision.
"I think something that I really love is that they took the time to recreate some of the comic book covers. I remember you guys doing take after take after take to make sure that it's perfect. Just things like that, the attention to detail, the thoughtfulness, and also honoring the comic books, I think people will really appreciate that," she said.
Spider-Man stars reflect on decade-long journey, Chinese filmmaking influence in "Brand New Day"
