With Spider-Man: No Way Home on the horizon, interest in the Marvel franchise is at an all-time high — and it looks like Andrew Garfield also has strong feelings about it.
Speaking to The Guardian, Andrew recently opened up about his time playing Marvel’s beloved superhero, and it looks like it is not as enjoyable a memory as most fans would have assumed. To recap, Andrew took on the role of Peter Parker (and thus Spider-Man) back in 2010 for Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man, which premiered in 2012, and its 2014 sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. (As Screenrant notes, its third and fourth installments were later canceled.) He starred alongside Emma Stone, Sally Field, and Dane DeHaan, among others.
The interviewer described Andrew's time helming the popular franchise as “a source of anguish” — and the actor himself doesn’t seem to disagree. “I got my heart broken a little bit,” he reportedly said in 2017. “I went from being a naive boy to growing up,” he now recounts. “How could I ever imagine that it was going to be a pure experience? There are millions of dollars at stake and that’s what guides the ship. It was a big awakening and it hurt.”
“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,” Andrew continued, not beating around the bush. “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.”
Of course, Andrew then kind of backtracked. “I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding!” he said amid scoffs. “I mean, it’ll take a bunch of years before that happens.”
Fans had long speculated Andrew and Tobey Maguire, who also played the arachnid superhero on Marvel’s first film adaptations, could have cameos on No Way Home, which stars Tom Holland and Zendaya and will premiere on December 17. Back in August, the first trailer confirmed that Alfred Molina, who starred alongside Tobey Maguire, will be reprising his role as Doc Ock. There are also rumors that Jamie Foxx could also be returning as Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and some even believe Willem Dafoe could be stepping into Green Goblin’s shoes once more.
Andrew gave a “prayer-like gesture of gratitude” to The Guardian interviewer when he promised not to ask about a potential cameo in the long-anticipated film, so take that as you will. But we might as well keep our eyes peeled for the biggest plot twist of 2021: celebrities realizing the ills of capitalism.
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