Andrew Garfield ‘Tried to Meet in the Middle’ with Sony Boss During Fights Over Spider-Man
Zack Sharf
Andrew Garfield has often tried to distance himself from his divisive two-film stint as Spider-Man (“The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”), but he told Variety in a recent interview that he now has nothing but gratitude for his superhero franchise. The actor’s 2014 “Spider-Man” sequel is widely regarded as one of the worst comic book films. The movie’s critical and financial disappointment forced Sony to scrap Garfield’s franchise and to join forces with Marvel Studios at Disney to save the character’s fate on the big screen (hello, Tom Holland).
“It was only beautiful,” Garfield said of the experience. “I got to meet Emma [Stone] and work with her and Sally Field. I had karma with Amy Pascal, who was a mother figure, and we would fight, but ultimately, we loved each other on a deep level. We tried to meet as much in the middle as we could in terms of why I wanted to do this role, and what her needs were as the head of the studio.”
Variety also spoke with Pascal, former chairman of Sony Pictures. The executive worked with Garfield before “The Amazing Spider-Man” when David Fincher cast him in his Sony-backed Facebook drama “The Social Network.”
“I had worked with him a long time ago on a film called ‘The Other Boleyn Girl,’ but it was after David [Fincher] and I saw him in a series called ‘Red Riding’ that I knew he was a genius,” Pascal said of Garfield. “He perfectly captured the inner life of a high school student as Peter. He exudes such pathos and such intelligence. I think everything good is coming to Andrew.”
Rumors have circulated for months that Garfield will return to his role as Spider-Man opposite iterations played by Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland in Marvel’s upcoming multiverse tentpole “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Garfield has refuted such rumors in the past, and he told Variety that fans won’t believe him no matter what he says.
“I understand why people are freaking out about the concept of that because I’m a fan as well,” Garfield said. “You can’t help but imagine scenes and moments of ‘Oh, my God, how fucking cool would it be if they did that?’ 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. No matter what I say, I’m fucked. It’s either going to be really disappointing for people or it’s going to be really exciting.”
Should Garfield pop up in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” it will be on December 17 when the film opens in theaters. If he doesn’t pop up as Spider-Man, Garfield still has two awards season titles locked for the fall season: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (September 17) and “Tick, Tick Boom” (November 12 theaters, November 19 streaming on Netflix).
