Speaking with Zaki Hasan of Zaki’s Corner, former Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield commented on his tenure as the Wall Crawler.
I was the actor that I am. The person that I am. Struggling with trying to match up with something that I’d elevated so high in my mind. Elevated beyond what I could attain, what I could achieve. The great thing is, that’s what Peter Parker was doing as well. Peter Parker created this symbol that he couldn’t live up to. It was never enough. He never felt enough, and I never felt enough. I never felt like I was able to do enough. And I couldn’t rescue those films…even though I didn’t sleep. [laughs]
And I wanted to…not to say that I needed to rescue those films, but I couldn’t make them as deep and soulful and…life-giving as I could ever dream. And I’m never gonna be able to do that, with any film. It was especially difficult in that situation because…well, just because. And it was especially important because that character has always meant so much to me, and you saw that if you saw the Comic Con thing, which, thank you for reminding me about that.
–George Berryman!
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@#9
no, they did save the film.
and honestly TASM was proven to be a success both critcally and financially. with TASM 2 not all that much but it’s still better than 3.
#@10
nice choice of words. i actually feel the same way when i get overexcited about something.
I really liked Garfield’s Spider-Man/Peter Parker. And I thought he and Emma Stone were awesome together. The fact that she wouldn’t have been in the next movie would have been one of the worst things about ASM 3 (if they had done it).
As for Peter’s un-Parker-like cockiness at graduation, I attributed that to him coming straight there after stopping a robbery, and still being amped up on adrenaline from doing his Spider-Man thing.
@#4
No the hell they didn’t, but god bless them for trying.
I’d say it’d be fair to assume that those are things pre-Spider-Man and pre-Gwen Peter wouldn’t have the confidence to do.
Right George. There were some scenes in ASM 2 where I though Garfield acted cocky – like sauntering onto the stage during graduation, kissing Gwen and highfiving the principal. That was too cocky for my tastes to be Peter.
I think it’s perfectly acceptable for Peter to be handsome – but the character mustn’t know it. Early Peter struggles with self-confidence; it’s why becoming Spider-Man was so appealing to him. The line of gals who found Peter attractive is long, so it stands to reason that he can be handsome. He just shouldn’t be acting cocky about it – say the way Flash would.
I still think he was too impossibly handsome to ever be believable as a loner like Peter Parker. Peter as he was originally envisioned by Ditko/Lee was a professional wallflower, right? Simply put, a guy that handsome as Garfield was too hard to buy as a bookworm outsider. He’d be fighting the girls off. That said – his chemistry with Emma Stone was fireworks and every scene they did together were the highlights of those films!
Andrew, buddy…you and Emma DID rescue those films.
It’s true, the problems with the Amazing franchise were well beyond Garfield’s control or ability to save, but nonetheless his contribution as an actor to Spider-Man in the franchise was one of the best parts of it.
It’s a shame that he won’t get the opportunity to continue with the character and will now be saddled with the baggage of having starred in the ASM movies (despite being on of the few positives in said movies), but at least he’s handling it very well and is supportive of Marvel moving forward with the franchise and Holland in the role :).
The weaknesses, of those filsm weren’t his fault, imo. But how Peter-Parkesque of him to feel so.
Garfield still showing that he gets this character with that first paragraph. It’s nice that he seems to have no hard feelings over the matter, and is actively supporting Sony’s deal with Marvel. It’s still a shame he won’t get to continue with the role as he was the best part of the ASM films.