Jacob Batalon

“I love being the sidekick. I'm pretty sure fans love seeing me that way.”

“Growing up, I wanted to be a musician. My mother, in typical Filipino-mom fashion, would always make me go up in front of people at parties to sing. Back then, as a kid, I was mortified. In retrospect, I see that doing that as a child helped me get over my fear of being in front of people.”

“The coolest person to yourself is yourself, and we're like nerds, and we love to be smart, and that's okay.”

“I've always imagined myself doing well, whatever I did.”

“Diversity in the industry is very lacking, and equal opportunity comes very far and few between for people of color.”

“I didn't really enjoy school in general.”

“Going to film school just made me love it. Before film school, I didn't really think much of acting. I was more into making music, but going to school and learning about it every day, it made me grow profound respect for the art.”

“I dropped out of college in Hawaii just because I thought school was for losers. But school's really important.”

“When I was young, we had these parties, and they'd make me sing in front of the family all the time.”

“I studied in a Catholic school in Oahu, and I went to a film school in New York.”

“New York is such a diverse place in and of itself, it would be ridiculous to see it otherwise.”

“I like to think I'm a pretty good friend. I love having a good time, and I enjoy being able to share those good times with others.”

“I was really into the first 'Spider-Man' films with Tobey Maguire, so it's pretty cool how it all came full circle.”

“I actually remember the exact date I got the call that I got the 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' role - May 6, 2016. It was probably the best day of my life.”

“No one knows who Peter Parker is. People just know who Spider-Man is. When you get that in the mix of growing up and finding yourself, that's more of a relatable tone than being Captain America and having the country's weight on your shoulders.”

“I am pure Filipino; both my parents are Filipino.”

“Music was sort of my thing at first.”

“I was blown away watching Michael Keaton act because he was such a maniacal, evil person on set. He takes on a totally different life, and it was so amazing to watch him work.”

“I think in any profession, in general, you always imagine yourself at the top of it. And I'm not trying to say I'm at the top of my profession, but I've seen what the top people do and what the top people live like. And that's definitely something I want to be a part of.”

“Actors usually tend to gravitate towards the evil things that stretch them.”