In an exclusive interview with Tatler, Jacob Batalon talks about the cool things his character gets to do in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the future of his character and if we’re going to see a Filipino superhero anytime soon
Many know Jacob Batalon as Peter Parker’s sidekick slash best friend, Ned Leeds in the Spider-Man universe. And sure enough, that role which he nabbed through a self-taped audition made him a breakout star. Still, Batalon is ready for the next phase in his career while staying thankful. Spider-Man: No Way Home in many ways, feel like an ending of sorts. It also celebrates three generations of cinema as we see the return of the iconic villains from previous Spider-Man films.
And while many are curious where the trio of Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon will head off next, one thing’s for sure: if this is the end, they sure are going out with a bang. With the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home in Hong Kong cinemas, Tatler got the chance to speak to Batalon about Ned and the really cool things he does in this third—and perhaps—final instalment.
As a Filipino myself, I also didn’t let the chance slip to ask Batalon about the Filipino representation in the movie and if we’re ever going to see a Filipino superhero anytime soon. Batalon also teases what he thinks will be next for his character but if his answers say anything, if that he’s grateful and this isn’t the end—we’ll be seeing him in a new vampire project soon.
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Can you tell us what’s different this time around in Spider-Man: No Way Home?
The thing that’s most different about our third instalment is the scale of it. Homecoming had a sort of indie movie vibe to it, Far From Home stepped up in terms of the threat and travelling around the world, but No Way Home blows those two out of the water with the action, the emotion, the comedy. It’s everything you could want in a superhero movie.
Your character, Ned got to do some really cool stuff in this movie. How’s it like filming that?
It was such a fun experience, obviously, all the stunts we did were very new to me. There was a lot I had to learn about wirework, and just taking a risk and giving it your all. Ned and MJ are definitely a part of a lot of action this time around.
And speaking of that really cool stuff, do you think we’ll see more of that? It seems to be hinting at something…
I can honestly say that I don’t know what’s in Ned’s future. For us, this film may most likely be our last, but I’m open and willing to listen to whatever comes my way. But it would have to be an incredible project. I feel like we all accomplished what we wanted to accomplish with these characters and their arcs, and we don’t want to take these types of opportunities away from others who are deserving of them.
Without going into spoiler territory, what are some of your favourite scenes to film?
My favourite scenes are the ones with Peter (Tom Holland), Ned and MJ (Zendaya) together because they are the heart of this franchise and whenever we worked together it was a fun atmosphere even though we rarely got anything done.
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