How Andrew Garfield Changed 'Spider-Man'

The British actor was instrumental in providing Peter Parker with a skateboard and some much-needed wit in the 'Amazing' reboot.
By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Andrew Garfield in "Amazing Spider-Man"
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Among his many powers, Spider-Man has one "Amazing" gift that perhaps you don't already know about: He is a skilled skateboarder.

Andrew Garfield, the British actor filling out Peter Parker's shoes in director Marc Webb's "Amazing Spider-Man," brought many ideas to the superhero reboot's table, including his character's proficiency with a skateboard. Speaking with MTV News, Garfield said that "a lot changed" over the course of shooting "Spider-Man," including his very own idea to have Spidey wield a board at numerous points throughout the movie.

"It was my idea that this iteration of Peter would skateboard, maybe because I skateboarded when I was a kid, and it's something personal to me," the actor said at the "Amazing Spider-Man" press junket. "It linked in so nicely with being able to activate the powers in a new way."

Garfield teamed up with director Spike Jonze's Girl and Chocolate Skateboards and persuaded the powers that be to include scenes of Peter messing around with skateboards, adding some levity to an otherwise "heavy" script.

"What's always been important about Spider-Man to me is the lightness, the humor and the enjoyment of a teenage kid getting these powers. In reality, what would happen?" he said. "We pitched the idea to [the Spider-Man producers] and they shot it. I thought that was awesome."

Another scene that changed due to Garfield's input: the infamous carjacking sequence that sees Peter in full Spidey regalia for the first time, webbing up and taunting a criminal with lots of laughs and very little restraint.

"That was important to me, in terms of the humor, the wit, finding the power of anonymity," he said. "That was a fun night, because it was all improvised and free. There was nothing scripted about that. That was awesome."

Overall, Garfield found the entirety of "Spider-Man" to be "a forever evolving process," thanks in large to Webb's place at the head of the film.

"It was all changing," said the actor. "Marc set up an environment where we could play, and that was really, really nice."

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Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1688420/amazing-spiderman-andrew-garfield.jhtml

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