Andrew Garfield opens up about the heartbreaking time he had playing Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man film series. Garfield landed the coveted role of Spider-Man in Sony Pictures’ reboot of the popular franchise in July 2010, a few months before the release of The Social Network would capital the actor to stardom and earn him widespread acclaim. Garfield was a passionate fan of the Spider-Man character and even dressed up as the hero for the 2011 Comic-Con appearance where he won over fans for his sincere enthusiasm.
The Amazing Spider-Man was a box office hit and was set to launch an entire Spider-Man shared universe for Sony Pictures with three Amazing Spider-Man sequels, a Venom movie, and a Sinister Six film. Then The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hit theaters and while it still was a box-office hit, it underperformed compared to past Spider-Man films, and the critical and fan reaction was negative. Instead of continuing the franchise, Sony Pictures decided to team up with Marvel Studios and reboot Spider-Man once more, with Tom Holland becoming the Peter Parker of the MCU and Garfield let go from the franchise.
In an interview with The Guardian, Garfield spoke candidly about his time playing Spider-Man. Garfield talks about how the financial needs of the movie business became the driving force behind making the movie, and that the whole experience left him heartbroken. He contrasts the business side of the film industry, which is driven by profit and appealing to the widest audience with the simple wishes he had as a fan of the material. Garfield’s full quote can be read below:
“I went from being a naive boy to growing up. How could I ever imagine that it was going to be a pure experience? There are millions of dollars at stake and that’s what guides the ship. It was a big awakening and it hurt. Comic-Con in San Diego is full of grown men and women still in touch with that pure thing the character meant to them. [But] you add in market forces and test groups and suddenly the focus is less on the soul of it and more on ensuring we make as much money as possible. And I found that – find that – heartbreaking in all matters of the culture. Money is the thing that has corrupted all of us and led to the terrible ecological collapse that we are all about to die under.”
This is not the first time Garfield has spoken about the troubles he had filming The Amazing Spider-Man films. He claimed he would argue with the head of Sony Pictures Amy Pascal over creative decisions governing the franchise. His own words were he ‘couldn’t rescue’ the films despite his love for the character. Garfield got to live out many kids’ dream, of getting to play one of his favorite superheroes, yet the experience was far from fun as his tenure as Spider-Man was filled with drama behind the scenes between the needs of Sony Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, and finding out what exactly to do with Spider-Man.
Since the Spider-Man franchise, Garfield has mainly avoided big-budget work and instead opted for smaller-scale dramas like Hackshaw Ridge and Silence. Garfield has had a busy 2021 with roles in The Eyes of Tammy Faye and the upcoming musical biopic of Jonathan Larson titled Tick, Tick…Boom! which is already generated early Oscar buzz for Garfield. While not confirmed, he is also heavily rumored to be reprising his role as Spider-Man in the upcoming MCU film, Spider-Man: No Way Home which would see him don the costume for the first time in seven years. Garfield’s return as Spider-Man could give Garfield’s take on the character a proper ending.
