Andrew Garfield has joked that he felt like he held “terrible power” during Spider-Man: No Way Home negotiations with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. Quickly after its release, Spider-Man: No Way Home became the biggest film of 2021. The film is the third standalone Spider-Man project in the MCU, and follows the titular web-slinger (Tom Holland) as he contends with characters from different Spider-Man universes who have entered his world after a botched spell from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). No Way Home delighted both fans and critics with its nostalgic throwbacks, and broke numerous box office records before becoming a frontrunner for the 2022 Oscars Fan Favorite Film award.
Many of the characters who come from other Spider-Verses in No Way Home are villains, such as Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin (from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy), and Jamie Foxx’s Electro (from The Amazing Spider-Man series). However, perhaps the highlight of the multiverse character was the return of former Spider-Men, Garfield and Tobey Maguire. Both actors spent nearly six months leading up to No Way Home‘s release denying their involvement, and surprised audiences when their appearance amounted to much more than a brief cameo. In fact, Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s plot somewhat hinged on the two returning heroes.
In a recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel pointed out to Garfield that it’s possible that Spider-Man: No Way Home wouldn’t have worked without him. Garfield agreed, laughing while stating that he felt “that kind of terrible power” when Feige and Sony producer Amy Pascal asked if he would do the project or not. The actor went on to somewhat jokingly admit that when the heads of the studio first asked him if he would return as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Garfield told them that he would “think about it.” See his full quote below:
“That’s so funny, I felt that kind of terrible power when Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal, they were like, ‘so you’re gonna do this right?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know. Give me… I’ll think about it for a couple of months. I’ll keep you guys dangling!'”
Garfield explained that he was ultimately waiting to hear if Maguire’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man would also be returning before making his final decision about No Way Home. According to Garfield, the studio was assuring him that Maguire was “in” for the project, but he wondered if Feige and Pascal were telling Maguire the same thing in order to convince him. Garfield’s comments are certainly apt, as the producers had a lot riding on their negotiations with the two Spider-Man actors given their rumored appearance was a major driving force behind the unprecedented anticipation for No Way Home. Had both actors not agreed to appear, the film’s plot would have had to be largely re-worked.
Of course, Garfield and Maguire did join No Way Home, and their roles have reinvigorated interest in both iterations of the iconic character. Ultimately, the film could not have worked as well without them, as the three-Spidey team-up proved the crux of the MCU film’s final battle in the third act. Given the huge box office success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Feige and Pascal are surely pleased that Garfield decided not to leave them “dangling,” as the nostalgia allowed by his and Maguire’s return turned out to be so much more than a fun cameo, but instead became the most celebrated element of the entire blockbuster.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live
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Author: Christian Hodge
