Andrew Garfield was certain that he was not going to be cast as Spider-Man—and let’s be honest, that’s a pretty wild thing to think for a guy who already looks like he’s swinging from building to building in his sleep.
The now 41-year-old (but forever youthful in spirit) actor, who donned the Spidey suit in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man and again in 2014’s sequel, is famous for his superheroics. Heck, he even crawled back into the costume in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, probably because once you get used to swinging around in tights, it’s hard to let go.
But despite all that, during a recent interview, Andrew spilled the beans: his audition process? Oh, he remembers it alright—like it was yesterday. And boy, did he think someone else was gonna snatch up that role faster than you can say “radioactive spider.”
“I did the first audition and thought, ‘Welp, that’s it. I’m too old for this. I’m practically ancient in Hollywood years,’” Andrew said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, which seems like a fitting name for his emotional rollercoaster. Keep in mind, this “too old” guy was in his mid-20s at the time—yeah, a real grandpa by superhero standards. “I know I’ve got some good genes,” he quipped, “but c’mon… they’re not that good.”
And here’s the kicker: Andrew was so convinced he wouldn’t get the part, he told himself, “Phew, dodged a bullet there!” Imagine thinking that not getting to be Spider-Man was some kind of blessing in disguise.
But then, surprise! They called him back for a screen test. Because when you look like you could smolder while shooting webs, Hollywood doesn’t just let you slip away.
Andrew gave a lot of credit to his acting coach, Greta Seacat (because with a name like Seacat, how could you not be wise?), for saving the day. Apparently, she gave him a little pep talk before the screen test, telling him, “Hey, chill out. Pretend you’re just making a movie with your high school pals.” Which, let’s face it, sounds a lot more like a teen comedy than a multi-million-dollar superhero franchise. But hey, it worked!
Her advice basically translated to: “Dude, stop stressing, and just have fun with it.” So Andrew, in true Zen-garfield fashion, waltzed in with a “meh, whatever” attitude, nailed it, and left feeling pretty good about himself. Did he know he got the part right away? Nope. That would’ve been too easy.
Instead, he was left hanging for months, probably web-slinging in his head while waiting for the call. And when he finally found out? Well, let’s just say it was the sweetest “oops, I guess I’m Spider-Man now” moment ever.