Naomi Watts confirmed Tuesday that she voices E.V.I.E., the artificial intelligence assistant guiding Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” a secret casting choice that reunites her with Holland nearly 14 years after she played his mother in “The Impossible.” The Oscar nominee shared the news on Instagram, posting photos from a virtual recording session with director Destin Daniel Cretton alongside a caption marking the shift in her relationship to Holland’s character: “From playing your mom to playing your AI (100% human made).”
Watts and Holland first appeared together in the 2012 tsunami drama, which depicted a family separated during the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster and marked Holland’s debut in a live-action feature at age 13. The role earned Watts an Academy Award nomination for best actress and helped launch Holland toward the career that would eventually bring him the role of Spider-Man. Holland has credited Watts with teaching him how to carry himself on a film set, telling Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast that watching her work up close showed him what a disciplined, top-level performance looked like while she guided him through his first professional production.
E.V.I.E. represents Peter Parker’s latest AI companion in the franchise, following in the tradition of Karen and E.D.I.T.H. from earlier films. In “Brand New Day,” the character exists as a support system Peter built for himself after the memory-erasing events of “No Way Home” left him isolated and forced to rebuild his life largely alone. Watts’ casting also reunites her with Cretton and co-star Sadie Sink, both of whom worked with her on the 2017 drama “The Glass Castle.”
The film marks Watts’ first credit within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though she previously appeared in the 1995 comic adaptation “Tank Girl.” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has become a box office phenomenon since opening July 31, setting the record for the biggest domestic opening weekend with $360 million and surpassing $1 billion worldwide in less than a week. The film also stars Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal and Mark Ruffalo, with Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers writing the screenplay.
