It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of talented actors and actresses, but one of the most impressive performances of the past few years has to be that of Laura Harrier in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Harrier plays Liz, the love interest of Peter Parker (Tom Holland), and her performance has been praised by fans and critics alike.
However, it turns out that Harrier wasn’t the first choice for the role. In fact, it was her co-star Zendaya who was originally cast as Liz. But after a few weeks of filming, the producers decided to switch the roles and cast Harrier instead.
The decision to switch the roles was a wise one, as Harrier’s performance as Liz was one of the highlights of the movie. She brought a sense of realism and depth to the character, and her chemistry with Holland was undeniable.
Harrier has since gone on to star in other films, including BlacKkKlansman and The Photograph. She’s also set to appear in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home.
It’s clear that Harrier was the right choice for the role of Liz, and it’s a testament to her talent that she was able to make the character her own. She’s certainly come a long way since her days on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it’s exciting to see what she’ll do next.
As it were, nearly three years ago, we learned that Spider-Man’s crush Liz was the daughter of Adrian Toomes, the Vulture himself. It certainly was a shocking twist and Laura Harrier who portrayed Liz, had something of a shock when she learned that she was cast as Peter’s love interest.
Harrier was surprised to learn that she was cast as Liz because she had heard that Zendaya had been cast in the film. She simply assumed that the character was going to be played by Zendaya, but was surprised to learn that there was going to be more than one black character in the film.
The Need For Diversity
Her agents told her that she was very much in the running. And soon enough, Harrier won the part in the film! The actress has made strides since Spider-Man boosted her profile, having appeared in a slew of films and shows. She was in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman and even the television show “Hollywood”.
Harrier spoke at length about how she thought it was incredible and ground-breaking of Marvel to put two black characters in those roles and not to make it about our blackness, the actress continued.
She even recalled her high school experiences saying, “We were just some girls who went to a school in Queens, and that’s what New York City actually looks like, and movies should reflect that. We had such a great time making that film. Zendaya and I are now friends, and I’m really grateful for that. Oh, and swinging around on those wires was fun!”
Even back in 2017, the actress echoed similar sentiments about the need for diversity in Hollywood. She said that hopefully, this was indicative of the future. Also adding that she hopes we see a lot more movies like this. But at the same time admitting that while she didn’t think things are where they should be, but this at least that we’re moving in the right direction.
