Audiences might not realize the actor playing Ned Leeds in next year’s summer blockbuster, “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” is from Hawaii, but fans who meet Jacob Batalon in real life should have no problem making the connection.
In a cast photo taken at San Diego Comic-Con last month published by Entertainment Weekly, Batalon proudly flashes a shaka while sporting a snapback cap by local clothing label Fitted Hawaii. Another photo posted on Batalon’s Instagram account shows the young actor wearing an aloha shirt during a meet-and-greet with “Spider-Man” creator Stan Lee.
“We all know each other pretty well (on set), so they all know I’m from Hawaii,” said Batalon, 19. “I don’t really get to show it on film, but people definitely know.”
Batalon, a 2014 graduate of Damien Memorial School, landed the role of Leeds, best friend of Spider-Man’s alter-ego, Peter Parker, just a few weeks before the Comic-Con appearance. In the original “The Amazing Spider-Man” comics, his character is eventually revealed as the villain Hobgoblin.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” is the first in a projected series of films produced by Marvel Studios that depict a high school-aged Peter Parker in a reboot of the Hollywood franchise, which previously saw Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the title role. Tom Holland will star as a teenage Spider-Man after making his debut earlier this year as the web-slinger in “Captain America: Civil War.”
The San Diego Comic-Con appearance was the first real break the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” cast took since filming started in late June, Batalon said — if you call taking a weekend off to dive into a convention center full of screaming fans a break. But it also provided Batalon and his co-stars with their first opportunity to see edited footage from the upcoming film.
“I’ve always wanted to go (to Comic-Con) as a fan,” he said. “But when I went for work, it was a circus. I couldn’t even breathe.
“When we saw the preview at Comic-Con, I couldn’t believe how great it was. We don’t get to see anything when we film, so it was the first time we saw any type of footage. The chemistry was just so great, and the Spider-Man stuff was so amazing.”
BATALON GREW UP the youngest of seven kids in his Salt Lake family, and his parents expected everyone to have a talent. His was playing the ukulele and singing.
“Music was sort of my thing at first,” he said. “When I was young, we had these parties and they’d make me sing in front of the family all the time.”
But he unwittingly began his acting training at those same parties by watching his mother and aunts interact with each other.
“All the women in my family are very dramatic by themselves. They make the biggest things out of nothing,” he said with a laugh. “I think that’s where I learned a lot about being emotional.”
His days at Damien were more focused on playing football and volleyball — and later, partying. Despite an admitted lack of focus at times during his academic career, Batalon still credits the school with instilling the discipline necessary to apply himself once he did find something he was truly passionate about.
A few months after graduating in 2014, Batalon attended an open casting call in Honolulu for a showcase in Los Angeles and landed an invite to audition for a group of talent agencies and managers, which got him signed with New York-based boutique firm Chelsea Models/Silver Model Management. At his agent’s suggestion, Batalon spent all of last year immersed in an accelerated acting program at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. While he did attend a few auditions as a student, he said his main focus was absorbing as much knowledge as possible from his teachers and fellow actors during the 18-month program.
“At first, I didn’t really have a passion for acting,” Batalon said. “But after going to this school, I’m just so in love with the art of it all. I was so naive at first about a lot of things. They taught us so much more than acting technique.”
AND SO, when most college students his age were wrapping up a community college degree or coming home for summer vacation after their sophomore years, Batalon was finishing up his acting curriculum and trying to land a part in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
“Before I went to L.A. for a screen test, the first thing I ever did was a self-taped audition in February,” said Batalon. “Then I waited two weeks, and that’s when they said I could go to L.A. After that audition (in March), they told me they’d let me know in another two weeks. But it wasn’t until the last two weeks of April that they told me I was going to be in the film, but they didn’t know which part.”
When Batalon was flown to Atlanta in May to meet with costume designers, he started to think he might have landed the role of Ned Leeds. But it would take a few more weeks — just before shooting started on June 20 — before he knew for sure. The call from his agent came while he was back in New York, just getting off the subway. Batalon was heading to catch another train at Grand Central Station when his phone rang.
“You’re officially Ned,” Batalon’s agent told him.
“When he said that, I literally lost everything. I started screaming and yelling,” said Batalon. “A lot of people were just staring. I was hysterical. I just ran down the street to Grand Central. It was the craziest thing.”
NOW THAT he’s a bona fide movie star, Batalon said he’s just trying to soak everything in and enjoy the ride while learning as much as possible.
“The first week was just the craziest whirlwind of events,” he said. “For the most part at school, we did things in front of the camera and behind the camera so we knew what goes on. So I knew what I was getting myself into. And I knew this film was huge, but seeing the production in action is mind boggling.
“It’s exciting every single day. I’m not used to all of this, so it’s crazy to me. Most of the time I can’t even believe I’m here.”