A somewhat poorly-timed phone call worked to everyone’s benefit.

After executives at Sony Pictures and Marvel reached a financial impasse this summer, word quickly spread that Spider-Man would no longer be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eventually, the two major studios worked out an agreement that would help Spider-Man remain in the MCU. Tom Holland explained to Jimmy Kimmel how he became a component of this agreement after he received a call from Disney’s CEO Bob Iger while he was with his family at a pub in his hometown.

Holland explained that he sent Iger an email thanking him for the opportunity to play Spider-Man and adding that he hoped that they could work together in the future. Iger quickly responded saying that at some point, he’d love to speak with Holland on the phone.

Two or three days later, Holland received the call from Iger – except, he was drunk thanks to the help of his pub friends at a local trivia night.

“I’m like three pints in, I haven’t eaten much, and I get a phone call from an unknown number, and I have a feeling – I’m like, ‘I think this is Bob Iger,'” said Holland. “But I’m drunk.”

Holland’s father convinced him to answer the phone. Holland’s intuition was correct that it was Iger on the other line. Holland says he again thanked Iger for the opportunity before hearing, “There is a world in where we can make this work,” from Iger.

Holland explained to Kimmel that he also spoke with Sony’s chairman, Tom Rothman, who was also instrumental in the process of bringing Spider-Man back to the MCU.

“It was really interesting for me to have these two studio heads like, ‘What do you think?'” said Holland.

Kimmel joked that it was like a custody arrangement.

Holland said he was so thrilled that he wept on the phone because prior to these conversations, he truly believed his days of playing Spider-Man were completely over.

The third installment of Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy is set to arrive in theaters on July 16, 2021.