Netflix viewers know Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn, the teen sex therapist from the streaming platform's breakout dramedy series Sex Education. Butterfield has been appearing in films and television from a young age, and was at one point up for the role of Spider-Man in the MCU, before losing out to Tom Holland. In an interview with Collider, the young actor revealed he is ultimately glad he didn't get the job because losing out on Spider-Man freed him up to take on Sex Education.

"Every so often there's a part [that you really want] and it's a script you love, and you kind of put your heart and soul into it, and you don't get it. And it is tough and it is shit, but I often find that something even better comes out of it at the end. And so in the case of Spider-Man, I did Sex Ed, because I wouldn't have been able to do both of those at the same time."

Butterfield's character in Sex Education bears more than a few similarities to the MCU's Peter Parker as played by Tom Holland. Both are shown to be exceptionally intelligent, awkward, but ultimately kind-hearted high schoolers struggling to deal with major changes to their bodies and personal lives. It is easy to see Asa Butterfield would have been a good choice for the role of Peter Parker, even as Holland has cemented his place in the hearts of fans as the definitive live-action Spider-Man. Butterfield also believes that the actor who ended up playing the role of the wall-crawler gave more to the part than what he would have been able to.

"I think as an actor and going out for roles, there's only so much you can do and everyone's gonna have a different take on a part and look at a character in different ways, have a different sort of performance, and you kind of have to stick with what you think. And if that isn't necessary in line with what the director and the producers want, then it's like, there's nothing you can do about that. You might just not be the right person, and that's out of your hands. And that's something I've learned, something that I think is great to help me kind of get over it. Because Tom did amazing things with Peter and he had an entirely different portrayal of him and I think it's worked so well in the universe and in that part, and I don't think I could do it. So I think all things work out in the end."

With the runaway success of the Spider-Man films and Sex Education, both young British actors have a lot to be thankful for. And for their fans, both Hollan and Butterfield are perfectly suited to bringing the characters of Peter Parker and Otis Milburn to life respectively, even as one character is busy learning the ins and outs of doing superhero stuff, while the other is busy teaching his high school peers the ins and outs of doing sex stuff. This news first appeared at Collider.