Andrew Garfield Talks Playing Spider-Man

The cast and crew of “The Amazing Spider-Man” have been on a publicity tour around Asia recently. A week ago, they were in Tokyo for a press conference, and this week they stopped over in Mumbai. The Times Of India’s Atul Sethi managed to scoop a one-on-one with Peter Parker himself, Andrew Garfield. The amiable Brit actor spoke about the pressures of living up to the hype and the inevitable comparisons with Tobey Maguire, who played Spider-man in director Sam Raimi’s trilogy. Electroshadow has reproduced the interview here for you…

Atul Sethi: How was it playing one of the most iconic comic book characters on screen? Is it as exciting as it seems?
Andrew Garfield: Actually, it is quite a complicated thing. Playing Peter Parker or Spider-man is the ultimate for anybody, as far as wishful thinking and dreams coming true goes. But there’s more to it. No doubt, it’s great fun, but being Spider-man is also terrifying. The pressure on you is tremendous. I’ve been a fan of this character ever since I was three. To step into his shoes – to know that this a beloved figure of so many young boys and girls around the world and to live upto their expectations – it’s quite scary.

AS: Doesn’t the fact that you’ll be known all across the world, when the film releases, make up for it?
AG: I realize that…I know I’m incredibly lucky in that sense. If I wasn’t playing this role and some other guy was, I would be very very curious too… even critical about the actor, because I care about the character so much. I just hope that I’ve been able to do it justice.

AS: Since you’ve been a fan yourself, did that make it any easy to get into the skin of the character?
AG: It helped that I had been following the whole Spider-man story for so long. But I realized that if I started identifying myself too much with the character, I’ll lose touch with reality. As I said, it’s very complicated (laughs).

AS: Spider-man, like most superheroes, has a dual identity. He’s not just a superhero but also Peter Parker, the boy next door. Which of his aspects did you identify with, the most?
AG: I have tried to explore Peter Parker as an orphan. Orphans, I feel, are the strongest human beings on the planet. The amount of things they have to deal with in their lives, is amazing. I have tried to capture how Peter copes with the feelings of being an underdog, his confusions and his self-doubt. This, I hope, has brought, a certain empathy and sensitivity to his character that explains how it helps him become the hero that he eventually turns out to be.

AS: How different is your interpretation from that of Tobey Maguire?
AG: I love the work that Tobey did. I’ve watched him in the earlier three movies as a fan and I feel that what he did was perfect. I would never even begin to compare myself with him. And I feel it’s not the point either. This film is another chapter in the legacy of Spider-man and my responsibility was to remain true to the core of the character . I’ve tried to do it as best as I could.

AS: The highlight of any Spider-man movie are the special effects and the action sequences. Did you have a swinging time doing the stunts?
AG: We had a great stunt team led by Andy Armstrong, who knew exactly what he wanted to achieve. And as far as doing the stunt goes, I had never done anything like it before. There were a whole new set of skills to develop and experience. I enjoyed every second of it – well not every second perhaps (laughs). But yes, most part of it, although it was hard work. I hope it shows on the screen.

AS: What about iconic on-screen moments? For instance, there was the famous upside-down kiss in the first movie . Anything like that in this one as well?
AG: Well yes, there is the first kiss between Peter and his love interest, Gwen Stacy.

AS: Was it as hard to do as the stunts?
AG: Well, I got to practise for that – although on my own, I must add (laughs). I practised kissing on my hand, arms and in the mirror. I was just hoping I’ll remember how to kiss when the moment comes and not fumble.

AS: Any memory that you’ll forever cherish from the film?
AG: I’ll always remember meeting Stan Lee, the creator of Spiderman. Like the earlier movies, he has a cameo in this one as well. It was incredibly exciting to meet such a legend, who’s given so much hope to skinny boys around the world.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” is directed by Marc Webb, and also stars Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field. The Marvel superhero film premieres 3rd July.