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Andrew Garfield Chats About His Preparation for Spider-Man

by Alex Billington
September 6, 2010
Source: Risky Business

Ever since it was officially announced in July that actor Andrew Garfield would be playing Peter Parker / Spider-Man in Marc Webb's upcoming reboot of the superhero series, no one involved has spoken about the project yet (and I'm sure Sony is happy about that). Well, THR's Jay Fernandez just interviewed Garfield yesterday at the Telluride Film Festival (he's here for Never Let Me Go) and actually got a solid response out of him about his early preparation and thoughts on landing the role. There's not much info, but it is a good read for anyone excited to see this new take. I got to meet Garfield up here, too, and he's a very humble guy.

Here's his lengthy, but quite fun and fascinating response, to a question about how he's prepping for playing Peter Parker. Shooting isn't supposed to start until December, so he doesn't have too much to say just yet.

"I have been waiting for this phone call for 24 years, for someone to call me up and say, 'Hey, we want you to pretend to be a character that you’ve always wanted to be all your life, and we’re going to do it with cool cameras and cool effects and you’re going to feel like you’re swinging through New York City. Do you want to do that?' [laughs] 'Let me just consult with my seven-year old self and see what he thinks…' So my seven-year-old self started screaming in my soul and saying, This is what we’ve been waiting for. Like every young boy who feels stronger on the inside than they look on the outside, any skinny boy basically who wishes their muscles matched their sense of injustice, God, it’s just the stuff that dreams are made of, for sure. It’s a true fucking honor to be part of this symbol that I actually think is a very important symbol and it’s meant a great deal to me, and it continues to mean something to people. So yeah, I feel like I’ve been preparing for it for a while. Ever since Halloween when I was four years old and I wore my first Spider-Man costume."

Couldn't have asked for a more genuine response and I've got to say I'm a lot more excited to see him in this based on what he said. He's not worried about how huge the role is, either. In response to a question about wrapping his brain around the extreme exposure of being Spider-Man, he replied: "Not to give it credence, not to give it any of my energy. Just approach it like any other job that I care about deeply… I just want to be an actor, really. And of course all those things came into consideration when I was making the decision. But at the end of the day, I had faith that I would be able to not be defined by it. And I still have faith that I will be able to get lost in roles and just keep doing what I love to do." And I love his answers. Is it just me?

Without any details known about the story, the villains, even what the costume looks like, there's not much to add about this for now. But with production aiming to start later this year/early next year, we'll probably be hearing more soon. For the full interview, head over to THR's Risky Business. Lastly, as for what exactly he's focusing on doing right now, well, it's a key element of the superhero physique: "Flexibility is my main focus right now. Making sure that I can be as flexible as possible." Can't wait to see him playing Spider-Man.

Find more posts: Hype, Movie News, Opinions

38 Comments

Wow. I'm actually pretty impressed. I haven't seen much of Garfield, so I can't comment on his acting. On the other hand, I trust Webb solely on his wonderful '(500) Days of Summer' and I can't wait to see this Spidey reboot!

Krishna Shenoi on Sep 6, 2010

hollywood needs to stop doing shitty reboots and remakes of recent movies and devote efforts to R&D until they can come up with some new/original content...

eddii on Sep 6, 2010

And I love his answers. Is it just me? Definitely not. I love them too. His genuine excitement and passion for the film really shows through.

Hannah on Sep 6, 2010

The most pointless reboot in recent history.

Snooty Usher on Sep 6, 2010

Ever since i saw BOY A he's in different league altogether for me. He'll nail it.

dex on Sep 6, 2010

@ 4, Snooty Usher : Did you see 'Spider-Man 3'? It ruined the whole thing beyond repair. A reboot was inevitable anyways, and the sooner, the better. And by the way, 'The Incredible Hulk' was a pointless reboot. @ Alex : And yeah, you're not alone. Love his answers too!

Krishna Shenoi on Sep 6, 2010

Aww, he's such a cool guy. He'll totally do great in this role. I can't wait to buy my ti--THIS IS SUCH BULLSHIT. This is the dumbest thing ever. Christ, a Spider-man reboot. Fucking cracker jack splendid. This article made my blood boil.

Cracky on Sep 6, 2010

The selling of Andrew Garfield and the unnecessary Spiderman reboot has begun ...What a crock of shit!

Hattori Hanzon on Sep 6, 2010

Yes lets all get excited for the SONY SPIDER cause this crap wont be spider man.

Jimmy Love on Sep 6, 2010

"It’s a true fucking honor..." Your next role model, kiddies! LoL.

Outlaw on Sep 6, 2010

Funniest part is that all you whiners - #1, #3, #5, #6, and #7 - are all going to be buying tickets, probably opening night, and you all know it.

hector on Sep 6, 2010

no, #11, we won't be buying tickets. this is a stupid, unnecessary reboot and i am a true sam raimi fan. the way sony treated him after he made them billions of dollars is reprehensible. what raimi did with spiderman is directly related to all the recent comic book film success. oh, and #6, it was SONY'S meddling that made spiderman 3 unwieldy. not raimi. so, no, i won't be supporting sony and their corporate boardrooms full of a-holes. in fact, i will adamantly advocate that no one i know see this steaming pile of disrespect...

SallySuture on Sep 6, 2010

#12 Sam Raimi ha never done anything original for a long time for a reason, Sony pulled the plug on a villain he wanted to do by the comic and they said for him to use his imagination for once....there you have it...even now he has other directors doing work with him #6 The Incredible Hulk was supposed to be a sequel but they feared nobody would watch it if they admitted to it #13 wow you are incredibly smart, i wish i was you.....

Jericho on Sep 6, 2010

**continued from 13** oh yeah and blame everyone else for pushing for venom.....

Jericho on Sep 6, 2010

@4 have you heard about this fantastic four reboot.........much worse

Moon on Sep 6, 2010

this guy does not look like the parker i read an grew up with , i have zero hope for this movie ..looks like their going for the ultimate spiderman crowd or somethin ...sony sux, so does ps3.

o Toxin o on Sep 6, 2010

I like how he responded, haven't been in the movies field recently so i didn't know he took the role. He looks excited and i really want to see him play the role.

Fisherr on Sep 6, 2010

(500) days of summer was all the script me thinks. But hoppefully Webb can pull it off.

ryderup on Sep 6, 2010

I have high hopes for this movie. I think Garfield is a great choice.

Turner on Sep 6, 2010

@ 11, Hector : If you read my comment, you'd notice I'm being critical of 'Spider-Man 3', not the reboot. If you check the first comment on this page, you'd see that I in fact AM waiting for the new movie, and yes, I'll be buying tickets on opening night.

Krishna Shenoi on Sep 6, 2010

@ 18, Ryderup... Actually, you ARE right. '(500) Days' was all in the script and the acting. Oh, and the style and music too. Not really a testament to Webb's 'great' talent, huh? And everyone, what do you all think about the costume? Would you like it to be all machine-made-looking like in 1, 2 and 3? (WHO made that for Peter anyways? They show him doodling a design in his little book, but that's it.) Or maybe a bit more home-made? I wonder what it'll look like. And if they do try out Doctor Octopus in a sequel (or in this one itself), honestly, can they really top 'Spider-Man 2''s awesome Doc Ock? I don't think so... but then again, I used to think no one could top Nicholson's Joker. I was so unforgivably wrong about that!

Krishna Shenoi on Sep 6, 2010

i hope he doeas well, but i really dont like his face! i hated him in lions for lambs. he was quite irritating. but whatever. and "big fuckin honour"? hmmmmm?

jay on Sep 6, 2010

# 12, you are right. Sam Raimi is an excellent director and I'm also upset at Sony's treatment of him. I won't be seeing any Spiderman film until Marvel has the rights back. Oh, and #13, you're totally wrong.

walterbishop on Sep 6, 2010

Spidertween. Lame. They should've just cast Justin Beiber and showed what their true intentions are.

walterbishop on Sep 6, 2010

He was excellent in Dr. Parnassus, so I'm good with the casting, be there in 2-D.

Xerxex on Sep 6, 2010

Gotta kinda agree with #24 here, it feels like there trying to make spider-man for the twilight generation, anyone can seem passionate about a role.

Cody w on Sep 6, 2010

Hector, you're fucking high if you think the "whiners" will buy tickets. I actually have a bit of will-power, so I will NOT be seeing this. It's that simple. Michael Bay's movies? Not one ticket. Anything adapted from a Stephanie Meyer book? Not one fucking ticket. The fact is, I don't have to buy into this. I just don't. And fuck those who think that we are just sheep and will watch anything put in front of us. Raimi did these movies good. And he a very talented director-- his past endeavors have proven that. A reboot of Spider-man is just plain fucking stupid and a slap in the face of everything he tried to accomplish.

Cracky on Sep 6, 2010

#4 i agree...it's f*****ng pointless reboot. What does Sony wants to prove???

Iggypop on Sep 6, 2010

This is all because they blew it with Venom in the last movie..

ALT1981 on Sep 6, 2010

while he seems like a nice guy and I like how enthusiastic he is, I too must agree that it is absolutely ridiculous to reboot this series so soon. Complete nonsense.

ShriekoftheVulture on Sep 6, 2010

you guys need to cool your jets. just because you don't want reboots doesn't mean they'll stop making them. JUST DON'T WATCH IT, GODDAMN. HOW ABOUT YOU LOT MAKE AN ORIGINAL MOVIE THEN? sheesh.

Alice on Sep 6, 2010

This will be the best reboot ever!

Whiner on Sep 6, 2010

Ive read the new SONY SPIDER script and in this hip new dark reboot peter doesn't wear a costume, and his webbs sparkle, and there's a scene where he first meets Gwen Stacy and he pukes a little in his mouth, and all the actors look like they have heartburn, and there's a real big baseball scene, thats when they meet the bad spider people!

Jimmy Love on Sep 7, 2010

Hulk and Spiderman, two shitty super heroes with even shittier movies. Let the franchise go. Sometimes the most humane thing to do is to let the thing die. #33, That is too damn funny.

Ariel on Sep 7, 2010

Reboot this sucker and make me forget Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.

thwip! on Sep 7, 2010

#35, you're crazy. now they're saying hillary duff will be parker's love interest. you're seriously saying you'd rather have this little goofball and hillary duff over acclaimed actors tobey maguire and kirsten dunst. that's just crazy. hope you enjoy you're tweenage spiderham.

SallySuture on Sep 7, 2010

The the reason for the reboot? Spiderman is a cash cow for Sony!

John on Sep 7, 2010

Can't wait for this guy. I'm pretty sure he'll deliver

LeoNz on Sep 7, 2010

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