There aren’t many actors, writers, or directors in Hollywood who can get away with saying whatever they like, and even in the case of a star like Andrew Garfield, navigating Tinseltown’s politics is essential for a successful career. Perhaps that’s why he’s chosen his words about The Amazing Spider-Man franchise so carefully, but as he continues to find success outside of the blockbuster realm – most recently in Silence and Hacksaw Ridge – the British actor has been opening up more and more about his time working on those two very divisive movies.
It’s no secret that both underwent some extensive reshoots, and with the sequel performing poorly enough to lead to an unprecedented deal between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, calling The Amazing Spider-Man movies “troubled” may very well be an understatement. Now, in a new interview, Garfield commented briefly on why he found it so hard to play the wall-crawler.
“[It brought] a different set of values and a different hierarchy of priorities. And we all know what those are. I struggled with that. I wasn’t having the total experience that I remembered having.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t elaborate beyond that, but with producers like Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach (who Marvel’s Kevin Feige has shut out of Spider-Man: Homecoming) butting in to influence director Marc Webb’s vision and Sony looking to launch countless cash grabbing spinoffs, it’s not hard to see why Garfield struggled with his stint as the iconic superhero.
Whether or not he’ll get another chance to play a superhero (or villain!) remains to be seen, but for now, it definitely seems like the actor is glad to be rid of The Amazing Spider-Man.