Tom Holland is arguably the most popular star of his contemporaries due to his iconic role as Spider-Man in the MCU. The actor has played the character in various MCU films, including a hugely successful solo trilogy. Holland has also stepped out of blockbuster franchises and dabbled into various dramatic films that displayed his range as an actor.
One of them was the 2017 medieval drama film Pilgrimage. Holland starred opposite fellow Marvel star Jon Bernthal. During one of the intense scenes in the film, Holland wanted to go full method and requested Bernthal to rough him up. This resulted in a surprising twist of events that helped him later during the shoot.
Jon Bernthal Surprised Tom Holland Following His Unusual Request on Pilgrimage
Before he blew up as Spider-Man in the MCU, Tom Holland starred in some intense dramas that showed the actor pull off some challenging roles. One of them was 2017’s Pilgrimage, a medieval drama released before his first solo Spider-Man film. He played Brother Diarmuid, joining a group of monks as they go on a journey to Rome transporting a relic.
Punisher star Jon Bernthal plays a mute laborer in the film. Holland had a challenging scene in the film and the actor needed some adrenaline to charge him up for the scene. As he prepared for the scene, Holland made a weird request to Bernthal. The Spider-Man star talked about this during his appearance on Hot Ones.
Holland revealed that he requested Bernthal to rough him up so that he could get into the intensity required for the scene. This method approach startled Bernthal who rejected his request. However, later on, while shooting the scene, Bernthal surprised Holland by slapping him, which greatly elevated the scene. Holland was grateful for that surprise and wants to reunite with Bernthal in the future. He said,
“Sometimes, as an actor, if you’re doing a scene that requires, like, real stress, I find it quite helpful if someone kind of roughs me up a little bit. And I said to Jon, ‘Mate, before the scene, could you just rough me up a bit? Just scare me a little bit, please.’ And he was like, ‘Nah, man, I don’t wanna do that. You’re my little brother. I love you, man.’
“It was great. It worked so well for the scene, but he just didn’t want me to know it was coming. He properly cracked me one. I look back on that as a very fond experience, and meeting him was one of the highlights. We haven’t had the chance to work together since, but I would love to.”
The film did not perform well at the box office, grossing only $23,689 against a €4.7 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Nevertheless, it is great to see the great camaraderie between the two actors. Holland’s desire to reunite with Bernthal may come true in the MCU with Punisher being brought back in Daredevil: Born Again.
Jon Bernthal Hails Tom Holland As One of His Best Co-Stars
Jon Bernthal and Tom Holland starred in Brendan Muldowney’s medieval drama Pilgrimage. the two actors share a lot of screen time in the film, including some intense and harrowing scenes. For the film to work, the two characters had to have a very emotionally connected relationship, and the two actors were committed to making that happen.
In an interview with Collider, Bernthal revealed that Holland is an incredible astir and brought so much to the film that wasn’t in the script. He stated that Holland is one of the best co-stars he’s ever worked with while praising his inner strength and range as an actor, Bernthal said,
“That stuff really wasn’t, I have to be honest, wasn’t in the script, and I think that, you know, I can’t say enough good about Tom, I think he’s one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with and he’s unbelievably kind and good and works unbelievably hard and has an inner strength and inner power within that’s so crazy for someone his age, but just so crazy for someone period. He’s a fighter.”
Bernthal has recently shot for his part as The Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again. Holland is rumored to start shooting for Spider-Man 4 sometime this year. Fans hope for a reunion between the actors, and seeing the two characters together in the MCU will be an absolute treat for them.
You can watch Pilgrimage on Apple TV+.
