Jacob Batalon shared insights into the story behind his secret handshake with Tom Holland.
The Spiderman actor Jacob Batalon has been playing the role of Ned Leeds since 2017 in Spiderman: Homecoming.
In an interview with People magazine, Jacob Batalion recalled the iconic handshake that he first shared with Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and he referred to it as a “best friend handshake.”
“I will say it actually came back literally like muscle memory,” he said.
Adding, “Whenever we see each other, we’re not naturally doing that handshake.”
“But I think because we first made it up when we were 19, and we had to do it all throughout the first three movies, I think it really just sunk in there,” the actor further added.
Furthermore, recalling how the signature handshake was created, Batalon said, “It was definitely something that we made up ourselves, like, two minutes before we had to shoot the scene.”
“It said in the script that there was a best friend handshake, and we were both like, ‘Okay. What, what is that?’ So we just made it up on the spot right before we shot it, all those years ago,” Batalon revealed.
Reflecting on his close bond with his Spider-Man co-stars, the Ned Leeds actor shared, “I’ve known them for a long time. Just knowing them as people, they’ve really worked hard for what they have, and they’re gracious. [They’re] just truly the most professional people ever. I’m really, really happy I can call them my family.”
For those unaware, Spider-Man: Brand New Day was released on July 13, 2026, and is still continuing its successful theatrical run.
