I’ve never really disliked Andrew Garfield. I actually found him strangely attractive for a while, and I do think he’s an interesting and talented actor. But his interviews… I don’t know, it’s not that I think he’s a terrible person, I just don’t think he’s as smart as he thinks he is. He tries to expound on capitalism and religion and he just sounds sort of douchey. He tries to say words about Spider-Man and he ends up falling into a deep well of sexist gender stereotypes. And now that he’s no longer Spider-Man (he was recast after two boring, poorly-received movies), Andrew has more thoughts on his Spider-Man experience. Those thoughts are too much for two films that no one cared about.
“With a film like [“The Amazing Spider-Man”], there’s so much projection and expectation that is inherent in taking on a story and character like that,” he said. “I was well up for the challenge, and I still am. I’m not going to shy away from something that a lot of people are going to see. Fuck it, bring it on, life’s short.”
However, Garfield claimed that he feels more free now in certain ways than he during his time on the ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ films. “The pressure to get it right, to please everyone… it’s not going to happen…You end up pleasing no one, or everyone just a little bit. Like, ‘Eh, that was good.’ [The films are] mass-marketed, like ‘We want 50-year-old white men to love it, gay teenagers to love it, bigot homophobes in Middle America to love it, 11-year-old girls to love it.’ That’s canning Coke.
“So that aspect of it was a bummer,” he continued. “Especially for the group of us trying to infuse it with soul, trying to make it unique, something that was worth the price of entry. It was about authenticity, flavor, and truth, but at the same time, I understand people want to make a lot of money, and they’re going to spend a lot of money so the playpen can be as big as it was. I can’t live that way; it sounds like a prison, to be honest, living within those expectations.”
There is this aspect to Garfield where he sometimes comes across like the most delicate flower in the field, so just put that in its proper context with his hyperbole of being in a “prison” of, you know, just playing Spider-Man. Playing Spider-Man was like a prison! The experience was like a gas chamber, or perhaps like a genocide.
Now, all that being said, it wasn’t really his fault that no one cared about his Spider-Man. I’m not sure it was even the studio’s fault, although they should take some of the blame. I think Spider-Man is simply one of the least interesting superheroes – he’s such a goody-two-shoes – and the reboot came too quickly after Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man series. Just as this latest reboot is coming too quickly after Garfield was IMPRISONED in the role.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I was willing to actually give him some credit because yeah, I do think it’s a lot of pressure to lead an action hero franchise, until I read this part: “It was about authenticity, flavor, and truth”.
Um, we’re still talking about Spider Man right? LOL
This dude is so far up his own ass.
Notice that Garfield, like Miles Teller, tried to make their comic franchises be “fused with soul” or “authentic” and both of their franchises failed miserably. Maybe they should stop trying so hard to make these films like one of their indie movies and instead make them fun, so they’d actually be enjoyable. There’s a time and place for “flavor and truth” and then sometimes it’s just about making something that looks like a load of fun to watch.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Maybe he needs to adjust his expectations.
I agree. It’ s a bunch of adults with ridicoulous costumes. Embrace the silliness. Just because the movie is fun it doesn’ t mean it can’ t have depths and drama. I think the first Iron Man was actually a pretty dark movie, but it was also fun as Hell!
I am a fan of the comics, but what looks grim and deep in a comic doesn’ t always translate grim and deep with a live action, because comics are and look fake, so your suspension of disbelief is at a different level entirely. It’ s why I just can’ t appreciate Nolan’ s Batman movies. Everything is so real, so bleak… and yet we’ re talking about a 40 something years old man with a giant bat costume who has never stopped to ask his butler: “Do I look like an idiot with this on?”.
JQW: I too don’t like Nolan’s Batman. I feel like he and Bale sucked all the vitality out the character and Gotham. I tried to watch them but I wasn’t moved by any of them and found them quite boring honestly.
> JQW: I too don’t like Nolan’s Batman. I feel like he and Bale sucked all the vitality out the character and Gotham.
Oh noes, I loved Bale as Batman. He was so hot. (I am not sure I cared for the storyline much ,I just watched Bale move on the screen, lol). For me that was the best version of Batman.
EN
Best version of batman.
Totally agree! While I do like a Burton style and even the campy quality of Clooney’s. Nolan’s was very very good with accepting certain plot holes that comes with nearly all comic adaptations. Anne Hathaway’s Cat Woman was horrid.
IMO it’s all in what you want. Nolan had a 3 movie beginning and end and he delivered. The others left a door open for future batman afventures.
JQW
I get your point maybe. Sort of like how Man of Steel sucked all the vitality and qualities that made Sperman and Metropolis?
I loved Nolan’s Batman. And Anne Hathaway’s Cat Woman was great, IMO.
I thought Man of Steel was borinf because Superman is such a boring superhero? All Superman movies were boring, not just MOS.
@FLORC: I haven’ t seen Man Of Steel because I cannot stand Zach Snyder and avoid all his works. I also don’ t like Superman because I think he’ s boring and too much of a poster boy for the USA for my likings.
For Batman, I don’ t think Batman has much vitality as a character in the comics either (you were probably referring to jinni’ s comment): he IS a dark character, at least in the recent years. Maybe he was funnier decades ago, but now he’ s all angst and drama. I like it in a comic book.
But reading a comic book (or watching animated movies or playing videogames) makes you think, subconsciously, that everything in it is fake, so what’ s wrong with giving for granted that a multi-millionaire decides to fight crime with gadgets and a weird costume?
But in a movie, even if you know it is a movie, there is a real person doing those things, and part of you thinks that it’ s ridicoulous. Some of us shut that part up, some other just can’ t.
And the same happens to the directors. Tim Burton’ s movies, the best live action with Batman so far, IMO, used the ridicoulousness to add some comedy while mantaining the dark imaginary.
Schumacher erased the darkness and went full ridicoulousness.
Nolan did the opposite of Schumacher, and denied any possible acknowledgment that the premise of Batman’ s stories is too bizarre to happen in real life without someone with two functioning brain cells asking some questions.
Paradoxically, I take more seriously Batman Forever and Batman & Robin than Nolan’ s movies because while they are less realistic in a general way, they are more realistic because they realize they are movies about comic books superheroes (and thus extremes) instead of trying to be thrillers with investigations, terrorism and real life crimes solved by a man in a bat costume.
I am sick! 🙂
JQW: When I wrote “vitality” I meant the silliness out of the Batman universe. Nolan’s was just super serious and dry to me that it took all of the fun out of Batman. As for Bale, he didn’t have the lowkey snarky side that I liked about Batman, especially in the cartoons or at least I didn’t see any of that side in the parts of the movies that I watched. He was just meh personified.
@jinni
Oh, then yes, I agree. Sorry, I totally misunderstood!
I also agree that Bale was not all that. But I don’ t think he’ s that good of an actor in general.
JWQ
We are just going to end up agreeing with eachother 😀
I think Snyder should be banned from any involvement with any comic based story. He’s like a mini Michael Bay with the up the nose shots and degrading female power roles by having so many damn scenes where they’re on their knees. Not in a calm before the storm/underdog way either.
And I was drifting into another comments. Sorry!
And agree on Batman origins. Sort of. Batman like other comic heros has multiple origins. I’m finding the tv show Gotham is doing an excellent job with the more pure origins of Batman. Still, they pick and choose the path with slight variations. Nolan’s had to explain the training that didn’t come from alfred the hard as nails ex marine. As an example.
Lastly, I do see your point on taking them too seriously. That is what ruined MofS for me.
P.S. A youtube channel called screen junkies has a wonderful (Honest Teaser Batman vs. Superman trailer) where paul rudd, patton oswald, and some others mock this 2 minute clip. It’s awesome.
I literally worship those honest trailers! They are always hilarious and on point with mocking both the movies and the audience!
As for Snyder, he should be banned from anything, not just comic book movie adaptations. I think Michael Bay is a sexist pig, but as a woman, if there is something that pisses me off is a man who is sexist and still tries to pass for feminist while mansplain feminism to women!
MB never tried to hide that the only things he wants to show when it comes to women are boobs and asses.
ZS dared to sell Sucker Punch as a feminist movie that attacked horny males objectifying women by giving those horny males objectified women with skimpy clothes, martial arts skills and endless titillating poses. And got pissy when people told him to go f**k himself!
It’s funny the Nolan Batmans came up in this conversation, because I was sort of wondering if that’s what AG was hoping his Spiderman movies would be.
Batman was always my favorite, I loved the campy old TV show, and the Burton movies, but I really loved the Nolan trilogy. They were very specific in which source material they built the first film on, and gave it a whole different, dark approach.
Nolan’s Batman was my favorite, but I loved Burton’s version too, for different reasons obviously.
JWQ
Hah! Honest Trailers and Everything Wrong With…. are awesome.
SuckerPunch was going to be a tricky adaptation from the start. It’s less or a straight forward black and white story and more of subtle touches between fantasy and reality. It was too much for him from the start.
The rest of it was a disaster because Snyder can’t stand on his own. And he can’t see what he did wrong and why. And this is why B vs. S looks like a joke already. Nolan can’t save that film with Snyder involved. And from the script/casting it sounds like they’ve crammed in every justice league character and it’ll be a 2+hour trailer for future movies with poorly choreographed CGI fight scenes with no dialogue.
Now read this in PAtton Oswalds ranting voice and tell me it’s not true 😉
Your conversation is really interesting, as i don’t know much about comic culture . It was so educating to read. Just to mention my confusion, as I read bout Sperman in Florc’s post. i thought o god, these americans have gone totally bananas now, i wonder what the movie about this superhero is like and what exactly are his super powers. Then I realised there was u missing )))
This is why Toby succeeded and he really didn’t. Granted Toby’s Spidey was kinda of a downer but was much better than Garfields who came off as a emo of a emo.
The one thing I miss about the Spidey films is his sense of humor and that he’s a genius scientist/engineer. The movies have never shown this side of him at all. The first trilogy only glanced over it and the second series made Gwen the smarty pants. Garfields Spidey came off as a dunce compared to her.
@lucy2: “I was sort of wondering if that’s what AG was hoping his Spiderman movies would be.”. He probably was. Nolan’ s movies aren’ t considered superhero movies like the others. They are respected, win prestigious awards, have “serious” actors in them. I think every actor who is in a superhero franchise that’ s leaning on the dark and edgy scale is hoping that his movies will be the next Nolan’ s trilogy. Andrew Garfield totally gave that vibe.
@FLORC: I think Sucker Punch was going to be a movie with the goal of titillating men no matter how approached and by whom. To make it less offensive you should rewrite characters story and premise. It’ s like 50 Shades Of Grey: it doesn’ t matter that a woman wrote it and another woman directed it, it will never be a movie about empowering women unless you change everything except the names of the characters.
@captain: LOL! Now I’ m genuinely annoyed that Sperman doesn’ t exist! They should make an entire franchise off him! Superpowers: pool fillings, sticky hands and mountain of tissues! (I am disgusted with myself for thinking this) 😛
On a side note, never assume that Americans aren’ t insane enough for something! NEVER!
JWQ: I comletely agree. I’ve been a fan since 1989 of Batman, and even though I love the themes with Nolan’s version, I don’t love the movies. It’s why I can always and will always love the ’89 and ’92 movies for every aspect of their awesomeness but not so much with Nolan’s.
Exactly – it’s Spiderman! And a reboot not long after the first series, so if he was expecting some “authentic” piece of art, he chose the wrong film.
I too have no problem with him saying there was a lot of pressure and he feels some relief at being out from under that, but beyond that, dude, don’t take it so seriously.
He has to have known what signing up for the movie entailed and that people sign up for those big franchises either (or more likely both) for the opportunity to be a bigger star and the paycheck.
Guess this means he won’t be doing any more big budget movies like Spiderman, at least.
imo he was actually a WAY better fit for Spider-Man than Tobey Maguire ever was. And fans have been saying it for long enough, the rebooted Spidey scripts are shit and Andrew/Emma were the only real saving grace.
He’s not wrong about the messiness behind the scenes (wasn’t that evident from the Sony email leak?) but he’d have done far better to keep quiet about it.
Really? I thought Garfield’s spiderman was a really whiny jerk with a bad attitude. Tobey’s version was whiny too but at least he wasn’t an arrogant shithead.
I’m sorry teacakes but I have to say that the Toby version was fun, goofy, with a touch of dark. They were really well done. I saw the Garfield version (2nd movie) when it came out and I just didn’t like it at all. I didn’t like him in the role, oddly enough I felt way more for Jamie Foxx’s character than SpiderMan. I remember the Saturday morning cartoons from the 90s. So I like Spiderman I don’t think he’s boring. I just think there were tweaks made that didn’t make sense for the story.
@Kitten
I know people who went to college with him, never heard a bad word about him. Heard he was hard working and diligent. You express such dislike for him in all your posts. Uncharacteristic of you. What did he do?
Generally I really don’t understand why they keep rebooting spiderman. Tobey did a good job there was no need for the new version so soon.
I agree. No need for a reboot every ten years. I think if Garfield/Stone had been handed the script and timing of the first ones, instead of McGuire, that would have been ideal.
I don’t like him because I find him to be an incredibly bland actor, a rather uninteresting person and pretty unprofessional to boot. Maybe he’s “nice” but anytime I see someone described as “nice” it’s usually a euphemism for insipid. “Nice” is how you describe someone who has no other interesting attributes.
Ugh, he’s just so very milquetoast yet so into himself at the same time. It’s a weird and unappealing combination. See? You got me started…;)
But honestly, I would call out ANY celeb who spoke like this about a superhero franchise. Most actors accept it for what it is: a good opportunity and great exposure. To say “it was about authenticity, flavor, and truth” is just…I’m sorry but it’s laughable and ridiculous.
Kitten
He looked smarter when Emma was there to translate his words.
I don’t like his face…. Or his acting.
Winnie
This came much too soon after Toby’s. Still, Garfield/Stones version wouldn’t have played out the same as TMs. Different styles and comic universes.
@Leah
I agree that I don’t understand what Andrew has done wrong. You only have to watch Boy A is see how great this guy is as an actor. I mean with bland actors like Ben Affleck, who doesn’t even know how to emote to save his life, being fangirled I don’t know why Andrew would be hated if someone else found him bland. He gets roles he auditions for unlike Batfleck who casts himself or gets roles thrown at him that should go to better actors. And Andrew doesn’t screw everything that is a stripper or a nanny while in a significant relationship.
Also Andrew didn’t do the Oscars because they were going to screw over that little bat boy and use him so instead Andrew took him to Disneyland the next day. Both Kid and family loved it.
Sony has no respect for their actors. We don’t know why Andrew didn’t show up for that event with the Japan heads or if he had even agreed to be there. Sounds like the wanted to use him for a dog and pony show and he decided not to go along.
Seems like people just don’t like something about him (which is their right) but then they try to twist small things into major negatives.
Too bored to read all his words of wisdom but WTF is with that moustache?
I disagree, i think Spiderman is one of the best heroes! I bet i am one of the minority who really dislike Superman. I think Superman/ Clark Kent is all kind of stupid.
Btw, anybody else laughing at his silly pornstache or is it just me?
Yes,mom both accounts. Stan Lee’s Spider-Man was awesome and I wish they would use some more of the villains from that show ( loved mysterio and the Greek mythology chick! Also, that ‘stach needs to go yesterday.
Not just You, I already said he looks like John Waters Troubled Son in the 1950s
Not just you. I always preferred Spidey to Superman (although Batman is my absolute fav, please do not mention that a$$hat that is about to be him on the big screen).
You are so right! Casting The Nanny Banger as Batman is so perplexing. I keep tut tutting at myself everytime i think about it lol.
I think both Superman and Spiderman are boring.
The reason Avengers and Co. are fun movies is because they don’t try so hard to make them deep. They are bubblegum fun and the’s fine.
Out of all the upcoming superhero films, I’m looking forward to Deadpool most. I hope they get him right,
I like Deadpool sometimes. His snarky comments can be too much at times. If they do him justice to all aspects including that it could be overkill on audiences that aren’t use to that character quality.
Two things-a) STFU you were PAID and you are an actor, not a political prisoner. b) He looks like Clark Gable in those pics somehow,and it’s kind of amazing.
He looks like Clark Gable after facial reconstruction.
Yeah, if Clark Gable was unattractive and had the charisma and appeal of a soggy gym sock then this guy would look just like him.
true true, all. AG;s testicles need to come down along with his hauteur level. I’m just speaking facial structure here.
What Kitten said!
I think he looks more like Orlando Bloom, to be honest. And just because we are being honest, I think he is as charismatic as him (which means not) and will have a similar (not so bright) career.
> I think he looks more like Orlando Bloom, to be honest
Agree. I also got “Orlando Bloom” vibe from these shots.
I think Garfield is a slightly more complex character than Orlando, that makes him more interesting.
But unless he pulls himself together and learns how to play the game with the smile and gusto ( even though I love to read actor’s rants myself) his future is not very promising. There are always thousands of newcomers nipping at the heels.
Meh, I don’ t know. I think Orlando Bloom is mediocre as an actor and decent looking with the right costume, but he doesn’ t irritate me, and has never said or done anything annoying or offensive (not that I am aware of, at least). Andrew Garfield, on the other hand, has. He is also the same level of talent, no matter what he wears he always looks like an irritating hipster, and sounds like a jerk with an overinflated ego.
“Interesting” isn’ t the word I would use, but to each her own. 🙂
@JWQ You summed up my thoughts exactly.
> I think Orlando Bloom is mediocre as an actor and decent looking with the right costume, but he doesn’ t irritate me, and has never said or done anything annoying or offensive (not that I am aware of, at least).
Orlando Bloom is a darling but sadly he doesn’t have enough inner demons or sensitivity to develop emotionally. That is what I meant.
Best actors have some sort of emotional inner turmoil they go through , inner insecurities which allow them to understand and grow.
They don’t show it , all you see are the glossy Hollywood cutouts instead of real people when you watch interviews and promotions.
But it is there, you catch glimpses of it once in a while.
@EN
I understand what you mean, but I disagree. First of all, I don’ t think a person who has emotional turmoils the way you mean it is necessarily interesting. They are often incredibly needy, arrogant, attention whores, and behave like they have the right to be a***oles because the universe is a scary place. I don’ t find these people fascinating, I find them irritating. The ones who are probably considered “boring” are interesting to me. Not for the press, sure, but I can understand why someone “interesting” might want to become an actor, while a more stable person might want to be one for reasons that actually have to do with art and narrative.
I know next to nothing about Andrew Garfield, so I have no idea what kind of problems he has for making you think he is such a tortured, sensible, intriguing soul, but if I remember correctly from my Lord of the Rings days, Orlando Bloom has spent his childhood being sick, risking his life and his ability to walk after he broke his neck, and having to deal with the fact that the man who raised him wasn’ t his real father. I think he has some emotional problems as well, it’ s just that he either doesn’ t act like a jerk about it, or he has gotten over it while growing up?
I prefer the smaller films, but I think it’s a little tacky to complain about the films you chose to be apart in. It doesn’t sit well with me.
especially when they made you a lot of money.
The Sony emails showed his true self: an insecure, pretentious douche.
Yep.
What did the emails say please?
It turns out that Garfield insulted Sony chief Kaz Hirai by snubbing him last summer in Rio de Janeiro at a big Sony gala celebrating the end of the World Cup.
Hirai had planned to introduce Garfield as the star of The Amazing Spider Man 3 set for 2016, in a speech before 750 guests. But Garfield, having just arrived in Rio, made a huge mistake. He snubbed Hirai and never came down for dinner.
In Rio this didn’t go well, and the bad feeling reverberated. An email alerting everyone read: “Here we are about one hour away from our Gala event and Andrew decides he doesn’t want to attend. He has a rather scruffy beard and he just wants to be left alone.”
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/real-reason-behind-andrew-garfield-getting-fired-sonys-spider-man-franchise-revealed-1499428
He needed his acting coach to help him while promoting the movies, acted like an emo kid in front of Sony’s Japanese bigwigs, and didn’t want to be introduced as “the new Spider-man” at the Oscars.
Thanks Kitt.
Thanks Jenna.
They revealed that Emma had some issues herself, so I guess these two are made for each other.
Oh do tell about Emma! She always came across as being mature and nice.
“Bigot homophobes in middle America”? Really, Brit boy?
Yeah, that caught my eye too.
That’s all “middle America” is donchaknow? The rest of the world is Utopian!
Lucky for him I’m a Middle American and I don’t know how to read, or I’d boycott his films from here on.
@Name du Jour – HAHAHA
He is American-British. Born in LA, with an American father and English mother. But yeah I don’t think he knows what he’s talking about.
Yes to almost every aspect of this post, except that bit about Spider-Man being boring. I was into comic books as a child (I went old school on my prepubescent diversions), and Spider-Man was my favorite. I originally thought that at least physically Andrew Garfield was well-cast as Peter Parker, but he does seem a bit insufferable in real life. At least those films had Emma Stone, though, who is always charming. Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane was borderline insulting and sooooo bad. The Toby McGuire films were better movies, but the casting was poor. Seeing a short, lisping, whiney Seabiscuit as Peter Parker filled me with quiet rage.
You didn’t like Kirsten’s M.J.? I think she holds the merit of making an insufferable character more likeable.
yeah, Kirsten was the good part of the cast for that one but I didn’t like her until Spidey 2.
Though I still think she had way better chemistry with James Franco (before his I Have A Master’s Degree and I Hit On Underage Girls As A Joke years) than Tobey.
I loved Spiderman when it had Tobey and saw all the movies. I wasn’t interested when they brought Andrew on. He might have been good. I don’t know.
> “The pressure to get it right, to please everyone… it’s not going to happen…You end up pleasing no one, or everyone just a little bit. Like, ‘Eh, that was good.’ [The films are] mass-marketed, like ‘We want 50-year-old white men to love it, gay teenagers to love it, bigot homophobes in Middle America to love it, 11-year-old girls to love it.’ That’s canning Coke.
I actually get him. What he is describing is like making mass-market clothes. They should fit everyone and appeal to everyone, yet in the end they don’t quite fit anyone.
And Andrew perceives himself as an artist, or aspires to be an artist. He has a vision of a role, and he wants to go with it. And it appears he wasn’t allowed to do that.
I get it completely since I face the same challenges in my profession. I design one thing and when I am forced to change it because “the customer” doesn’t like it when I know “the customer” is really not an expert and is wrong, it makes me very resentful. In the end the product comes out not as good as it could be and requires rework. And then the customer blames us. And I go …..We did what you made us do !!!! (only in my head, of course)
He might like directing more than acting.
Yes to everything you wrote. I actually agree on the design example you gave. It’s not art, but quite often we have to adapt to a client lowering the quality of a project. It’s not good enough for us, but if that’s what the client wants… Bah
That is a good analogy.
But here’s the thing. His movie wasn’t the first big budget, Hollywood, comic movie. It wasn’t even one of the first ones during the resurgence of comic movies. By the time he choose to sign for this one, everyone already knew that these movie were for mass appeal and that whoever starred in them would have a lot of pressure on them to make them a success. So, if he couldn’t handle the cons that came with this sort of gig then why did he take the job in the first place? He could have pass up on it and do movie that don’t have mass appeal and no one is expecting to make a big box office. But he wanted the check and the fame that leads to getting prime roles that taking and succeeding in the Spiderman role would have brought, but now that it blew up in his face he wants to act like this? Whatever.
You don’t know what the studio promissed him and we also don’t know how all of it was approached. Probably he went with it thinking it would be something else. He would not be the 1st one making that mistake.
And I could just quit and sit home and do nothing and save myself the frustration. But the girl gotta eat )).
The movies business is cutthroat. If you pass up on a major franchise, and you are a young actor, you will never be offered another one again. Unless you are Marlon Brando, and even then only maybe. Nobody has the guts to do that.
Reality and our desires are often not in sync. To vent about it is only human.
sofia: By the time he got into the comic book game there was already a formula that these movies were crafted on, which Marvel has perfected, so no I don’t think he was mislead as to the scale of what he was undertaking. He wanted to be a big star, took on a role of an iconic comic book character that had a built-in fan base of comic fans and cartoon series fans. Plus this character had already been proven to have major box office appeal. He probably thought this would be a cake walk, but despite all of the cards seemingly being in his favor, he failed. And now he want to act like he was hoodwinked and bamboozled. He can go somewhere with that mess because I’m not buying it.
It’s kind of you guys to empathize with his champagne tears 😉
I went to art school and now I do financial insurance. This is what a lot of us regular schlubs have to deal with except unlike Garfield, we don’t get paid millions for our sacrifices.
Also, I fully own my life choices. I don’t waste time bitching about it because I recognize that my decision was to forgo creative freedom for a nice paycheck.
Poor actor must make compromises like other plebs. Boo-hoo.
And what Jinni said. He knew what he was signing up for but probably thought like most of us “hey it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity” (LITERALLY lol) and took it on. But he didn’t want to commit to everything that comes with representing the franchise-the off-screen promotional responsibilities, etc. So dude was fired for not doing his job.
Personally, he strikes me as a pretentious sod, but that’s just me.
I agree about the mass marketing and design stuff – I have to do occasionally do that in my job too, a client will change something good to something not-so-good, and it can be frustrating.
But I agree with jinni – whatever the studio told him, it was always going to be a big studio comic book movie aiming for mass appeal, and he should have known better to think it would be anything else. I imagine if they’d been hugely successful and launched him into the upper echelons of the acting world, he wouldn’t be complaining one bit.
Agree with you. He is describing the process of making a creative project via committee, as well as the realities of marketing it as a product to a mass audience.
His behavior in Rio w/ the Sony exec sounds churlish and tacky – not to mention professionally stupid – but nothing he says here strikes me as off-the-charts unrealistic; if anything, it may be a little too candid for his own good.
Yes, it’s also bratty to publicly diss the franchise date what brung ya to the dance, imo. But his exaggeration that he felt as if he were in jail working in a franchise? By all means, alert the media: an actor is reacting over dramatically!
But the thing is, the customer IS right. If the customer is willing to pay for something, the customer should get what she / he wants. I often think, why cant the clothing manufacturers make a simple piece of anything — slacks, jeans, etc.- and why is it so hard to find a simple shirt?
I get you and what you’re saying about art and making things better than the customer knows, but ultimately if you dont have customers paying for your product, you can make your lovely piece of clothing or art and go sit with it admiring it all day long, eating a can of air.
Even as someone who’s not into mainstream movies and art, I get why the studios want to make $; maybe he’s saying it’s misguided because you end up not appealing to anyone when you homogenize a product. Very hypocritical though- he should sit down and be grateful he got paid big bucks for the job, or decline those offers.
Random but he looks creepy with a mustache 😩 it reminds me of a centipede! Maybe it’s the shape of his mouth??
I don’t see why they had to reboot Spider-Man anyway.. It’s not as if the Tobey Maguire versions were from 50 years ago.
I think that was the real issue. The movies with Toby were OK. They didn’t do anything drastically different with Garfield. It looked like the same Spiderman all over again. And who wants to watch the same storyline over and over?
The reboot was too soon and not original enough. Not Garfield’s fault.
Right. They should have progressed the character and introduced different villains as opposed to rehashing Tobey’s first movie. That was the studio’s mistake.
Really? Ugh. I hate it when celebs deride things that made them famous.
He specifically says that living with everybody’s expectations for massive success felt like prison and I’m sure when you have the success of a multi hundred million dollar franchise riding on your shoulders it might make you feel a bit trapped and overwhelmed.
Yes, he is a succesful actor who signed on to play a superhero so I’m sure he expected pressure, but maybe it was more than he could handle or maybe the studio didn’t support him as he hoped.
And we may comment about this sort of pressure but most of us have really no idea of what it’s like to be in their position. It’s not surprising when celebs sometimes “lose it”. There’s a lot of people to please and money to be made and all of that on your shoulders. He is not a big actor, so this spider man thing was his first take on this type of big project. I don’t see why people think that bc he is an actor and made money out of it that he has nothing to complain about. Many times we just have no idea.
I’m sure he enjoyed spending that Spiderman paycheck/residuals tho
*files nails*
“bigot homophobes in Middle America…”
Real smooth, Andrew.
Actually Spider-Man is one of the most interesting characters, but they never captured an essential part of his personality on film — his sense of humor! Every iteration he’s been a mopey bore. Every time Spider-Man fought one of his villains there was always humor… He’d wisecrack through the whole thing. There was none of that in the films also… I hate Garfield. He’s unattractive and a complete nonpresence onscreen.
Maguire’s Spiderman was funny in my opinion
All superheroes these days are mopey bores, including in the comic books most of the time. Heck, at least no film Spiderman has made a deal with the devil to destroy his marriage so that his antediluvian aunt will live another few months.
It might’ve been a good movie had the lead actors – including Garfield – not mumbled almost the entire way through.
I literally had to turn on closed captions because I couldn’t understand him or the lead actress. They mumble-whispered through so much of the movie, that it distracted from it.
Eh. Why do Hollywood people have issues with hyperboles? Why can’t they use proper descriptions?
I actually liked the part about blockbusters being mass-marketed and his expectations from the process; but still I wonder how he could sign up to this film thinking it would be something different from an unnecessary reboot designed to make money.
> Eh. Why do Hollywood people have issues with hyperboles?
Because they are all “drama queens”? It is kind of in the job description. ))
I know this point is brought up a lot, but I am ready to scream. Prison? PRISON? Is the home bought and paid for by the Spiderman pay checks your *prison*? oh, FFS.
Nice mustache though. 🙂
I understand what he tries to say .Contrary to Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale,he worked very few between the Spider-Man movies.In fact Bale and Jackman used the fame given by their superhero movies to act many different roles
Weren’t both Spider-man movies a hit at the box office and certified “fresh” by Rotten Tomatoes???
Of course, re-boot 3(or is it 4?) is in the works, with yet another British actor as Spidey. I saw The Impossible, and Tom Holland was in that- and he made absolutely no impression-to me, at least. So I guess the studio heads are showing him this and saying-“See? Don’t do this” and then he can then moan about it too after 2/3 movies.
Never seen him in a movie. And don’t want to. There are some men, like him or Ryan Reynolds, that are somehow considered interesting enough to be a lead in a movie, but I just don’t feel it. Not interested. His moustache is awful. He looks straight out of 70 s p@rn. Perhaps it’s for a role? Anyway, if Emma is happy, that’s her business, as long as she’s happy, but if she gets herself someone else, whom I like more, I won’t be complaining.
What is it with these actors/actresses trashing the franchise or films that put them on the map? Hello you can now pick any project you want, it’s your fault for not making the best of it later on. I think this is why Jennifer Lawrence will go farther etc than most of these people. She appreciates the franchise that got her off and running.
Spare me. You sign on to a potential blockbuster superhero role, you sign up to be Coke, Budweiser, Tide…a product to be bought and sold. If you want an artistic experience, take a role in community theatre or off off Broadway. You’ll be paid squat with no visibility but HEY art for art’s sake, right.
Pretentious douchebag. Check yer privilege. So many actors would kill for your opportunities.
Meh, there are different kinds of prisons, and talking about something that constrains you emotionally as a metaphorical “prison” has a history that’s probably as long as society itself. He did not say anything like “gas chamber”, and riffing as if he said something as bad as that is unfair, I think.
Yeah, he’s up his butt, he’s not terribly bright, but get to the heart of this and I think he’s got a point. Not about the prison thing, but about trying to make something that will appeal to EVERYONE. It’s not possible, and it does blandify what’s made. I bet there are people in the world who think La Pieta isn’t a good statue.
Nothing wrong with those comments. Well, except all the headlines trying to make something more out of them than it is.
I’m not a superhero movie watcher at all but I thought the first one was actually quite good. Very solid for what it was. And he and Stone had awesome chemistry. It even made me watch the second – which had way too much going on.
I bet he enjoyed the paychecks though.