Tom Holland Was Terrified Of Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock As A Kid

Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland reveals that when he was younger, he was terrified of his co-star, Alfred Molina’s, Doc Ock. Molina starred in Sam Raimi’s 2004 Spider-Man 2 as the multi-legged villain, Doctor Otto Octavius, known more frequently by his nickname, “Doc Ock.” The sequel, which also starred Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, followed the story of Parker as he struggled with his Spider-Man identity and whether or not he should continue fighting for the people of New York City.

At the end of Spider-Man 2, Doc Ock falls into a river, seemingly to his death, but Molina is set to reprise his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, this time facing off against Holland’s version of Peter Parker. While no plot points have been confirmed regarding Doc Ock’s presence in the new movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home’s director Jon Watts did share that the villain’s story will begin from that point of supposed death and the character’s self-sacrifice. It has also been confirmed that Molina has been subjected to de-aging technology, similar to what was used on Robert Downey Jr. for Captain America: Civil War and on Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel.

Making Molina look like he did in Spider-Man 2 might have been an issue for Holland, as he admitted he was scared of Doc Ock when he was younger. Holland, who was only 8 years old when Spider-Man 2 released, explained in an interview with Empire (via CBR), that he was terrified of Molina when he saw the full get-up of the Doc Ock character. He also explained that he loved Maguire’s original Spider-Man trilogy.

“I was obsessed with Raimi’s movies. I remember seeing Alfred in his costume for the first time, and he had the glasses on, and he was wearing his belt, which is what the legs were attached to. And I remember, as I [sic] kid, being terrified of him.”

While he might have been afraid of the original Doc Ock, when Holland met Molina on set, he mentioned the actor was actually really nice and shared that the two had a great time working together. Holland also mentioned how fun it was to see Molina work with the newer technology for his character’s arms, which wasn’t available at the time of Spider-Man 2. Originally, Doc Ock’s arms were puppets attached to a belt that Molina had to manipulate himself. For Spider-Man: No Way Home, Holland shared that Doc Ock’s arms are now all computer-generated, so Molina had to learn how to act with the different tech.

Holland being able to act alongside Molina was probably a great experience for the actor, allowing his experience with Spider-Man to come full circle. It’s sort of sweet that an 8-year-old Holland was terrified of Doc Ock, but now he gets to work alongside the actor for one of the most anticipated new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will be interesting to see just what part Doc Ock will play in the plot of  Spider-Man: No Way Home and if Holland will tap into his childhood fear of the character, bringing a sense of authenticity to his portrayal of Spider-Man.

Source: Empire (CBR)

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