A Monster Calls: Spider-Man star Tom Holland had a surprising role

Newly minted Spider-Man Tom Holland had a breakthrough moment in J.A. Bayona’s The Impossible, and it turns out the pair already reunited on another project: A Monster Calls. But it’s not what you’re thinking.

Holland doesn’t secretly appear in the film, but he earned a “Thank You” credit by featuring as a stand-in for the titular monster on set, as revealed by Bayona to The Hollywood Reporter.

A Monster Calls centers on a young boy named Conor, who encounters a tree-like beast while coping with his mother’s terminal illness, his cold grandmother, distant father, and cruel schoolyard bullies. Liam Neeson voices the creature and brought him to life through performance capture.

Actor Lewis MacDougal, who plays Conor, said of Holland’s presence, “It gave me something to look at when I’m talking to the monster.

Also starring Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, and Toby Kebbell, A Monster Calls will open in limited release on Dec. 23.