Former Spider-Man hopeful Joe Jonas recently shared how deeply he was affected by not getting the role in the Sony's Amazing Spider-Man franchise.
Spider-Man has always been one of the most sought-after roles for young male actors in Hollywood, with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Asa Butterfield, and Jake Gyllenhaal having been up for the role at various points over the years.
Most recently, the competition for the MCU's take on Peter Parker was quite the stiff one ahead of Captain America: Civil War, as that movie would bring the character into the MCU for the first time. In the end, Tom Holland shone above the rest to win the part, impressing Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. as he stepped right into the spotlight to give Marvel Studios a memorable take on an iconic hero.
There were also a number of big names that took their shot for Spider-Man but ended up falling short, even though all were worthy choices to don the webbed suit and web shooters. Names like Dune's Timothée Chalamet and even Ms. Marvel's Matt Lintz were on Marvel's shortlist for the audition process, which was one of the most heated battles in MCU history.
Now, hit recording artist Joe Jonas has gone public with his own Spider-Man story, revealing that he was in the running for a place in Marvel history years ago.
Joe Jonas' Devastating Spider-Man Story
In an interview with Variety, actor/musician Joe Jonas looked back on his experience auditioning for the role of Spider-Man with Sony Pictures in 2010.
Jonas explained how he went up for the role in Sony's Amazing Spider-Man franchise, which wound up going to Andrew Garfield. And although he noted how "in the moment, you’re destroyed or you’re defeated" at losing out on a role like that, he still loves "the process of auditioning and putting (himself) out there" in order to prove that he can do a good job:
"I can name probably a couple. In the moment, you’re destroyed or you’re defeated. But you realize this person was brilliant. I remember years ago I was up for Spider-Man and I was so, so excited and it was the year Andrew Garfield got it. Obviously, he was the right one. But I remember that was a big thing at the time, going back for callbacks and the director used to be a music video director. So I was like, “I got an in here.” But you know what? I love the process of auditioning and putting yourself out there and having to prove yourself."
He also explained that he never got to don the Spider-Man costume, but he's sure that he owned one that he "would try on occasionally back in the day."
In a previous interview with Backstage, Garfield also discussed his own approach to the audition process, noting how he treated Peter Parker like Shakespeare's Hamlet with a mix of director Martin Scorcese:
“When I first played Peter Parker when I was in my 20s, I did treat it like Hamlet. It was Scorsese’s Hamlet!”
He wanted to make sure that Peter's loss and suffering played through in his performance, especially with the character being an orphan and dealing with "heavy, psychological, emotional stuff:"
“That’s how I was approaching it. Thinking,] I’ve lost my parents; I’m an orphan. If you’re going to really step into that in a real way, that’s heavy, psychological, emotional stuff. For me, there are lots of young boys that are going to be watching this. I wanted to offer something that had soul; I wanted to offer something that felt real and relatable and complicated. Fun and joyful as well, but also I wanted to honor what it is to be an orphaned teenager. I wanted to really dive into that and [think about] what it would do to the heart of a person and their trust for people.”
Could Jonas Join the Marvel Universe?
Over the years, Joe Jonas has slowly made an impressive transition from music to acting, as his brother Nick did with movies like Jumanji. But as it turns out, the former was hoping to make that big break even sooner with an audition for the role of Spider-Man, who is still one of the most popular characters across the entire entertainment landscape.
Whether Jonas puts his name in for another future Marvel role is a mystery, although there are certainly a number of potential options even with Spider-Man off the table. The X-Men and the Fantastic Four are currently in the early stages of casting for Marvel Studios, and should Joe Jonas want to try again for a Marvel role, he should have plenty of chances at MCU glory.
