Now that “The Amazing Spider-Man” is finally in theaters, it seems as though star Andrew Garfield will at last be able to get a full eight hours of sleep.
“I’ve been nervous for the last two years, it seems,” he explains. “Every day, there’s been something that’s made me have to suppress shaking.”
Clearly the British actor felt some pressure after taking up the mantel of Spidey that recently was worn by Tobey Maguire in the three installments that ran from 2002-2007. But it was Garfield’s personal connection to Marvel’s signature comic book character that got him all tied up in knots, so to speak, for the reboot.
“We all have that one fictional character, at least, that we all care about so much,” he says. “If ever that opportunity came for any of us to play it, to serve it, do it justice, when that moment comes, you’re like, ‘I’m not allowed to sleep. I’m not allowed to think about anything else! I need to dedicate everything to this person that’s given me so much in my life that I want to give all of myself to it.'”
Garfield’s not the kind of actor who comes off as disingenuous — unless of course, it’s in the script. But his naturally quiet, smart, somewhat befuddled nature comes across in his version of Spider-Man, who’s more fidgety and anxious than the Spideys before him. That aspect of the masked hero’s DNA was what Garfield held on to.
“That was how I always felt growing up — I felt like an underdog. I was a skinny kid. I always thought I should have been bigger for some reason, because society tells you that,” he says. “I played rugby, and I was good at it, but I got concussed all the time because I was a weakling. So that was something that I identified with for Peter, because he felt stronger on the inside than he did on the outside … and there’s nothing better than seeing a skinny guy beat the crap out of big guys.”
A weakling, he might have been at one time, but Garfield will be poised for superstardom should this reboot of the Spider-Man franchise take off. The 28-year-old, however, has made a vow to audition for every single role he’s interested in — an unconventional practice for well-established actors.
“If you’re at a pool hall and you’re playing pool and you put in 50 cents every time, you’re going to enjoy that game because you paid for it,” he explains. “But if you figure out a way to jimmy the thing, and you can get a free game of pool out of it, you’re not going to care so much about the game.
There’s something in that — having to work for something, as opposed to being handed something. I’ve had to work for everything that I’ve been a part of and this is what’s satisfying about it, because you know that they really looked at everyone, and you are the right person for that particular story and that particular moment. There’s something about staying grounded and staying humble and making sure that you appreciate everything that you have.”
