Andrew Garfield Says Money ‘Corrupted’ His ‘Spider-Man’ Experience and Left Him ‘Heartbroken’
As a longtime Spider-Man fan, Andrew Garfield couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play the hero in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man. However, his experience with the film wasn’t all he thought it would be. In a recent interview, the actor opened up about his time as Peter Parker, revealing his “heartbreaking” realization that money drove the franchise. At the time, Garfield had only just entered the film industry, and his Spider-Man experience gave him a rude awakening. Here’s what he said.
Andrew Garfield portrayed Spider-Man in 2012 and 2014
Garfield became the second face of Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise in the 2000s, following in Tobey Maguire’s footsteps. The Social Network star led The Amazing Spider-Man’s cast in 2012 and reprised his role in the 2014 sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Sony had planned to bring Garfield back for a third installment of the reboot but ultimately moved in another direction after the sequel became a critical and commercial failure. Instead, the studio brought in Tom Holland for a brand new reboot with Disney, giving fans Spider-Man: Homecoming and its sequel, Spider-Man: Far From Home. The trilogy’s final film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, will hit theaters in December.
Andrew Garfield says his Spider-Man days were ‘heartbreaking’
Since then, Garfield has mostly distanced himself from The Amazing Spider-Man. He’s admitted that he feels grateful for the experience, but his Spider-Man role left him feeling hurt for a while. In an interview with The Guardian, Garfield explained that The Amazing Spider-Man forced him into “growing up” after his time as a “naive boy.”
“How could I ever imagine that it was going to be a pure experience?” he said. “There are millions of dollars at stake, and that’s what guides the ship. It was a big awakening, and it hurt.”
Garfield added that he realized much of the hype surrounding Spider-Man and other comic book franchises stemmed from money, which changed his perspective. He continued:
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.
As The Guardian noted, Garfield ended his statement with a lighthearted laugh.
“I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding!” he said. “I mean, it’ll take a bunch of years before that happens.”
Some fans think the former Spidey will return in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’
Garfield may never step into his web-slinging suit again, but some fans are still holding out hope. Spider-Man: No Way Home will see Holland’s Spider-Man experience the multiverse, which could mean he’ll meet alternate versions of Spider-Man. Naturally, some fans hope to see cameos from Maguire and Garfield.
Unfortunately, Garfield has adamantly shut down rumors that he’ll appear in the upcoming film. Though, speaking to Variety, he did admit that it would “f***ing cool” if that did happen.
“I understand why people are freaking out about the concept of that because I’m a fan as well. You can’t help but imagine scenes and moments of ‘Oh, my God, how f***ing cool would it be if they did that?'” the actor said. “But it’s important for me to say on the record that this is not something I’m aware I am involved in. But I know I’m not going to be able to say anything that will convince anyone that I don’t know what’s happening.”
Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on Dec. 17.
