Andrew Garfield Was Disappointed He Couldn’t Save His ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Franchise: ‘I Never Felt Enough’
As many know, Andrew Garfield would tackle the Spider-Man franchise after Tobey Maguire’s take on the character. But Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the last of Garfield’s own version of the wall-crawler for a long time. The cancellation of his Sony Spider-Man franchise was something Garfield took to heart, as he felt partially responsible for the franchise’s discontinuation.
Andrew Garfield was told that he’d never be Spider-Man after practicing Tobey Maguire’s lines in a mirror
For Garfield, being Spider-Man was a long time coming. The marvel hero has always played a significant part in Garfield’s life, dating back to his childhood.
“Stan Lee says that the reason why Spidey is so popular is because all of us can relate to him and I agree,” he once said at a comic con (via The Hollywood Reporter). “I needed Spidey in my life when I was a kid and he gave me hope. In every comic I read, he was living out mine and every skinny boy’s fantasy of being stronger, of being free of the body I was born into, and that swinging sensation of flight. And upon receiving his power, unlike most who become corrupted, he used it for good.”
When Maguire’s first Spider-Man film came out, it left a strong impression on a then-teenage Garfield. So much so that Garfield would practice Maguire’s lines in front of a mirror. To Garfield’s friend at the time, however, that was all that was needed to prove Garfield could never be Spider-Man.
“I was 19 when I saw [Spider-Man]. I got a pirated DVD at portobello Market with my friend Terry McGuiness, and we went back to my skanky apartment in North London and we watched it twice in a row and then practiced your final line in the mirror,” Garfield told Maguire in an interview on Collider. “Terry has this thick accent and every time I would recite that line he would laugh this very distinct laugh and say, ‘No, man, you could never be f****** Spider-Man. You’ll never be f****** Spider-Man!’ I was so humiliated and upset. But, um…f*** you, Terry!”
Andrew Garfield felt disappointed he wasn’t enough to save his ‘Spider-Man’ franchise
Some might believe that Garfield’s first two Spider-Man movies didn’t make the kind of impact that Maguire’s did. This is supported by the actions of Sony, who ended up discontinuing Garfield’s films after The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Garfield once admitted that he felt a certain amount of responsibility for what happened to his own franchise.
“I thought I was going to be Spider-Man, you know? I went into it going…ego s*** came in. It’s like, ‘Okay, here it is. I’m f****** Spider-Man. I f****** made it.’ All that s***. I didn’t actually make it. I was never Spider-Man,” Garfield once told Zaki’s Corner.
Garfield also lamented on feeling like the actual Peter Parker when it came to his struggles with both himself and the franchise.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
The Social Network actor was remorseful that he couldn’t take his Amazing movies in a more meaningful direction.
“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,” he added.
Andrew Garfield on doing another ‘Spider-Man’ movie
In light of recent events in No Way Home, the door to Garfield’s Spider-Man may not be completely closed. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Garfield discussed the possibility of coming back to his Amazing series.
“I mean, yes, definitely open to something if it felt right,” Garfield said. “Peter and Spider-Man, those characters are all about service, to the greater good and the many. He’s a working-class boy from Queens that knows struggle and loss and is deeply empathetic. I would try to borrow Peter Parker’s ethical framework in that, if there was an opportunity to step back in and tell more of that story, I would have to feel very sure and certain in myself.”
