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Andrew Garfield very much seems to be happy and at peace with his time as Spider-Man. The actor took over as Peter Parker after Tobey Maguire played the role in Sam Raimi’s trilogy. “The Amazing Spider-Man” movies that followed have their fans, but it would be fair to say they didn’t go according to plan. Fortunately, Garfield got his chance for redemption in 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which proved to be a gigantic hit and truly satisfying for fans. For as satisfying as the experience was, though, it took a physical toll on the actor.
In a recent interview with GQ, Garfield discussed his time in the “Spider-Man” franchise. Breaking down “No Way Home,” the actor explained that it had been several years since 2014’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” brought an unceremonious end to his tenure as the web-slinger. “In that time, I’ve stayed reasonably fit. I like being physical and staying in shape,” Garfield said. Be that as it may, age still played a factor when it came to doing stunts. As Garfield explained:
“I had done a lot of my stunts on the first two films. When it came to the one with the more aged Spider-Man, I was so excited to be back doing stunts again. On the first stunt I did, I threw my back out entirely on the first take, and I didn’t do it right. So I kept on doing it. I did it like three or four [times]. I had thrown my back out and it took like six or seven months to recover [laughs]. It’s time to stretch. It’s time to start stretching before you do things.”
When Garfield first left the role behind, he was still in his early 30s. By the time he returned to reprise the role alongside Tom Holland and Maguire, he was pushing 40. That makes a big difference on the body. Luckily, his suffering was not in vain as “Spider-Man: No Way Home” made more than $1.9 billion at the global box office, making it literally one of the biggest movies in history. That may have softened the sting of the back injury a bit.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was a healing movie as well
The notion of Garfield and Maguire’s Spider-Men being older in the film is actually something that the filmmakers used to influence some of the scenes. As Garfield further revealed in the interview, the scene where he crack’s Tobey’s back was directly the result of them reckoning with getting older in the real world:
“There’s a moment where I crack Tobey’s back in the film. All of that was coming out of us chatting, all of us with [director] Jon Watts and going, ‘What would it be? What is the dynamic here? What are the things that we can nod to?’ It’s like, well, what’s the reality of now being these older guys wearing spandex? And how do we acknowledge that in a way that feels real and funny?”
Before “No Way Home,” Garfield’s time as Spider-Man seemed like more of a Hollywood tragedy. This movie changed the entire narrative. That being the case, the actor also made sure to highlight that the film was a healing process for him, as well as the other cast members in some ways. It wasn’t just back pain and failed stunts:
“I look back very, very fondly but there was some healing that happened between the three of us doing that together, and it suddenly felt lighter, I think, to all of us in a way. For the characters, but also for us as actors. We would share what our troubles were. It was like Spider-Man group therapy.”
Whether or not Garfield returns for more? That remains to be seen. “Spider-Man 4” is happening and, at the very least, Garfield has expressed a willingness to return, one condition pending. If he does suit back up, one assumes he’ll be a little more careful next time and stretch a bit beforehand.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is available to rent on VOD, or to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon.
