Andrew Garfield on Spider-Man Hype: “I’m going to do my best to remain me”

Andrew Garfield wowed audiences at this year’s Comic-Con with his sheer enthusiasm with his upcoming role as the titular hero in The Amazing Spider-Man, a role that promises to catapult the once little-known actor into super-stardom.

Of course, preparing for the role and dealing with the fame fallout might prove to be far more difficult that acting in the movie itself.  In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Garfield opened up about the preparation he underwent before filming and how he plans to come to terms with the significant fame he’ll doubtlessly receive once it appears in theaters.

When asked if he intentionally avoided anything while preparing for the role, Garfield admits he didn’t feel that way, saying, “I didn’t really think about avoiding anything. I just didn’t come at it that way. I wanted him to have fun. I wanted it to feel like Peter Parker could have some fun and wasn’t just trying to save the world. He could have fun even after the responsibility has been thrust upon him and he has to save the city. I really wanted to do something physical that was genuine and authentic and inspired by the different artists over the years. His physicality is something which I’ve been obsessed by and I’ve loved.”

Nonetheless, because of the character possessing spider blood Garfield decided it would be helpful to study spiders, explaining, “I studied spiders, I studied their movements and how they operate in the world and I tried to incorporate as much of that as I could. He’s a boy/spider in terms of how he  moves, and not just in the suit. It also shapes the way he interacts with people. A spider is so sensitive; their skin is sensitive to everything. That’s the thing with the spider sense and the way he takes in everything. Imagine all of your skin was as sensitive as a spider, the slightest gust of wind would feel like a tornado going by. You’d always be rushing, that rush. What does that do to you? The idea of how he adjusts to that. And I looked at the idea of having more legs, more arms, and the spacial awareness. A spider moves up, down, side-to-side, all around. He’s not linear and with the knowledge of that  spatial awareness and the fact that he can be here and then over there incredibly fast. The stillness of a spider and the lightness I found all of that very interesting to explore as well.”

The interviewer points out to Garfield that like his fellow cinematic superheroes, he better prepare himself for having his image plastered over all kinds of advertising.  Surprisingly, Garfield isn’t looking forward to that, confessing, “I don’t like to think about it. It terrifies me. I don’t want that, actually. I just saw that I was given an opportunity to play a part that I’ve been wanting to play since I was a 2-year-old. I don’t see it any other way. I don’t want the rest of it. The visibility thing — the being a more visible actor or just a more visible person in the world — was the one thing that deterred me. That was absolutely the one thing I questioned. Do I want to do this? I thought about it for a month, constantly. I knew there would be a change in my life to an extent. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I stay  part of the world. I want to be able to walk around in this world. I love being alive and I love being a person and I love being able to meet people, meet strangers without them having any preconceived notion of who I am. I love meeting people. I love being me. I don’t want to be anyone else. Of course this comes with a certain life change but I’m going to do everything in my power to hold on to what’s important, which is I am a guy who does a job for a living that comes with some periphery stuff that I’m not interested in. I did take the role, I took it on, and i don’t regret it. It’s meant something to me for all of my life. But I’m going to do my best to remain me.”

One thing is for certain — based on his well-received appearance at Comic-Con, Garfield is as ready as he’ll ever be!