Andrew Garfield Had a Near Death Experience Everyday on ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Set
Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield achieved a lifelong dream when he was cast as the Marvel superhero. But playing the web-slinger required Garfield to do a few harrowing stunts that brought him close to death on a frequent basis.
How Andrew Garfield felt about his ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ stunts
Like many kids growing up on superheroes, Garfield dreamed about being Spider-Man as a kid. So when he finally had the opportunity to play the character in The Amazing Spider-Man, Garfield threw himself at the role almost literally. As soon as he started shooting the 2012 superhero reboot, Garfield was immediately banged up due to the many stunts he had to perform. But the actor didn’t mind it, and confided that he was happier than ever.
“We’re two weeks in,” Garfield once told Slash. “The first week was full of stunts, and I’ve never felt happier in my whole life. I’m all bruised and scratched up, and it feels really good. It’s just me throwing myself up against walls, which is incredibly fun and painful and testing my manhood. It’s a childhood fantasy I’m living out.”
But Garfield explained that doing the stunts came with a considerable amount of risk. Executing Spider-Man’s movements required much more detail than Garfield simply throwing his body against the wall. At times, the role even brought The Social Network star to his limit.
“As you can see, a lot of the stunts are practical and grounded in reality,” he once said according to Contact Music. “I would exhaust myself every day and get into near-death experiences every hour on the hour. I collaborated with the stunt team not only on the big stunt set-pieces but also on what happens to Peter’s body when he gets bitten. What happens to his DNA and how that effects the way he moves.”
Andrew Garfield quickly realized that playing Spider-Man was a lot of responsibility
Garfield felt grateful to be able to don Spider-Man’s iconic costume. The character was more than just another film role for him to play, as Garfield wasn’t only a fan of Spider-Man growing up. The New York vigilante helped him through many tough times as a kid.
“I needed Spidey in my life when I was a kid and he gave me hope,” Garfield once said according to The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Because of this, the Silence star felt he was too caught up in the excitement of playing Peter Parker in the movie. But a few days into the shooting, he realized playing the wall-crawler came with more responsibility than he initially realized.
“It was a lot,” he said. “It was just a lot. I realized just how much responsibility I was taking on for you, for your buddies, for everyone who’s going to be in Hall H today and for me, the 7 year old inside of me. It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s the same kind of pressure Peter Parker feels. He feels the weight of the city on his shoulders. He knows he’s the only one with the power that’s able to really fully protect these people. He feels like he’s their father, ultimately.”
Andrew Garfield once addressed playing Spider-Man again
Garfield had to leave the Spider-Man character behind after The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The Marvel Cinematic Universe famously picked Tom Holland to inherit the character’s costume, a role that Holland has made his own over the years. Not too long ago, however, Garfield made a comeback when he returned for Spider-Man No Way Home.
His performance as the character was so well-received that it’s left some wondering if Garfield might return to play Spider-Man again. But in a different universe of Spider-Man films separate from Holland’s. Speaking with Variety, Garfield confided that he would be interested in the possibility under a few conditions.
“Peter and Spider-Man, those characters are all about service, to the greater good and the many,” Garfield said. “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.”
