Image Credit: John Schwartzman
Andrew Garfield, the new man in the Spider-Man suit, talked a lot at Comic-Con recently about how much the web-slinger meant to him growing up. It’s clear that the guy takes every last detail about his new superhero alter ego seriously. But who knew that that included some of the, ahem, smallest details, too?
When EW recently sat down and spoke with Garfield, we couldn’t help but probe for a few more tidbits about his new Spidey suit and its sleeker, more high-tech design. And while Garfield readily admitted that it felt “fantastic” the first time he put on the red-and-blue spandex, we wanted to know more. Namely, if he and director Marc Webb gave a lot of thought to the south-of-the-equator regions.
“Of course you do!” he said, blushing.
When asked if there were long conversations about whether to err on the side of being too Ken-doll androgynous vs. too bulbously revealing (especially since the film is in 3-D!), Garfield laughed and blushed some more.
“Um, yeah, there are long discussions about this stuff,” he said. “There has to be because it’s got to be handled with sensitivity. It has to be non-offensive, which takes some tools.” His words, not mine. We assume he’s talking about tools of the costume-design variety.
Ever since the nippled Batsuit brouhaha of the ’90s, the makers of superhero movies have to be careful not to offend audience’s delicate sensibilities when it comes to their crimefighter’s naughty bits. They should be more focused on Thor’s hammer than… Thor’s hammer. Garfield says he and Webb were cautious about this. ”I don’t think it should be the main attraction of the costume.” he said. “I don’t think it should be what people are focusing on.” In other words, keep it classy.
With the groin issue settled, Garfield added that one of his biggest challenges in donning the Spidey suit was figuring out how the character should move in it. For that, he says he studied tapes of Muhammad Ali and soccer great Ronaldo, and he pored over the 2008 documentary Man on Wire — the non-fiction account of tight-rope walker/daredevil Philippe Petit, who snuck up to the top of New York’s World Trade Center in 1974 and crossed on a rope from one building to the other. “Man on Wire was something I wanted to capture in playing Spider-Man,” he said. “The feeling that it gave me of this human being giving something so spectacular and hopeful and magical to a mass of people for nothing other than generosity.”
Asked how he sees his Spidey as different from predecessor Tobey Maguire’s, Garfield diplomatically answered: “Tobey did an amazing job. This isn’t a replacement. I want to be clear about that. It’s another chapter. That’s not what I’ve been trained to say, that’s what I feel. I’ve spoken to Tobey and we’ve seen each other and hung out.”
So what advice to the elder Spidey give to the new kid on the block? “He said just enjoy yourself. Don’t let the burden weigh too heavy and make sure you have some fun.”
Clean, wholesome fun at that.
Read more:
Sony schedule ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2′ for 2014
Andrew Garfield surprises fans at Comic-Con
‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ cast on the gritty reboot
ok, I clicked on this after reading the Girl w the Dragon Tattoo poster article (yep, I’m all about nudity today!) It just is so hypocritical to hae this “oh, how do we deal with a completely covered male penis so as not to offend anyone” attitude here while on the other page it’s all “it’s just nudity, get over it”. Dear Hollywood, you don’t need to protect us from penises any more than you have to protect us from breasts!
Female nudity, yes. Male nudity – no way.
Female nudity, sure, why not? Male nudity, hell YES!
That would be the crudity and narrow mindedness of a straight boy from the hicks. It’s a penis. With any luck, you’ve ssen one. Are you afraid it will be bigger? If breasts can be shown on screen, then as long as it isn’t gratuitous, then show whatever you want. As a straight man, I thought one of the funniest scenes in Forgetting Sarah Marshall had full frontal male nudity. It was for comic effect and didn’t feel out of place. And I damn well was phallically challenged by it. Get over yourself, Dave
Andrew is such an excellent actor. Was totally screwed out of an Oscar nom for Social Network. He’s good in everything he does, so I”m sure he’ll be great in this. And he’s pretty damn cute.I am an Air Force and single at present .I need a woman who can love me back ..I also uploaded my hot photos on M’ilitaryloves .C óM under the name of cnuaw22..It’s the largest and best club for seeking Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Police Force, and the admirers of those who wear the uniform.I just hope you don’t mind me being a soldier …Please Check it out!I’m serious.
Cruzilla, right on! Hollywood’s double standards in full swing! God forbid we see any fully covered bulge that might look it’s covering a *GASP!* penis, but sure, let’s just expose a tit, who hasn’t seen one?
While I agree with the matter of a double standard regarding Hollywood and naughty bits, it is worth mentioning that Spidey is likely aimed more at family audiences than “Dragon Tattoo”, so I can understand the different levels of concern.
Remember how distracting the giant blue penis was in Watchmen? It completely sucked the audience out of the movie (no pun intended)…accentuated breasts as a part of a piece of wardrobe is okay, because women do that every day, not a big deal…but if a guy’s walking around with a pair of socks stuffed in his pants, or simply an enormous member, it’s distracting…not a man or woman thing, but more an “out of place” thing
I kind of enjoyed the Imax-i-cized blue dong. It’s about time nudists had a superhero represent.
It was the only good thing about that movie.
Yay for penis!
I get your point, but I’m thinking the target audience should probably have something to do with it. I’m not a strict parent, in fact I’ve taken heat from other parents for being too lenient in what I let my kid see, but I’m relieved to know my five year-old won’t be subjected to 3-D penis. I am fine with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo having all the nudity the story calls for. I’ll be seeing that. The kiddo won’t.
I’m with you Amber. comparing nudity in “Tattoo” and “Spiderman” are apples and oranges.
Or melons and bananas
I’d be very interested to know just what you imagine is harmful to children or anyone about the sight of genitals. I assume that you keep your breasts bound and never wear a bra that indicates you have nipples, lest your kids be traumatized.
EW, please stop indulging Chris Nashawaty’s fascination with male genitalia.
I say bring on the penises. The more the merrier.
THIS!
I think it’s probably best that he have only one penis. More might be distracting.
True. And his pants would fit like a glove.
Moviegoers want to see naked females, not naked men. That’s a time-honored rule.
Dave you meant to type “I” but somehow put “moviegoers.” Woops!
@ Dave: Speak for yourself, a-s-sHOLE. You might not be aware of this, but heterosexual men are not the only creatures that go to the movies. There are these people called “heterosexual women” and “gay men” who would totally not mind seeing naked males on the big screen. Now go back to your double-wide, drink a few more PBRs and choke on your SlimJims.
Joan, pretty sure there’s at least a trace of sarcasm in Dave’s comment. You might have missed it due to be blinded by your knee-jerk indignation and stereotypical assumptions.
Ignore the others. I am a heterosexual female and i have a huge crush on Andrew Garfield. That doesn’t mean I want to see his privates on the screen. In other films, perhaps. But not in Spider-Man seriously if he looks like he’s wearing an ill-fitted suit.
This straight female is cool if we don’t see guys junk. I love Billy Cruddup, and The Watchmen sucked without the giant blue penis, but that certainly didn’t improve the situation.
He’s already got a 3D-ready butt in that costume, I say give equal respect to the other side.
A-greed.
He is quite the snack….
Seriously. The back of that suit is designed to draw your eyes to his posterior, for pete’s sake! And a very nice posterior it is!
I just watched Never Let Me Go last week. His performance was SO BAD that I am now very concerned for this movie.
What!?! Subjective, I guess. I thought that was his best performance to date- maybe besides ‘Boy A’.
I hope your joking, since he was aces in that movie. I’m guessing not, just bad taste. Garfield’s performance here was widely hailed by critics as one of the better supporting performances of the year. Really embodied the child that never grew up , all brittle earnest edges and bursts of emotion. Unfortunately, few saw Never Let Me Go, and he overshadowed himself in The Social Network.
I don’t think it was bad but it’s definitely the weakest performance I’ve seen him give. Even then, it’s still better than Tobey Maguire’s best performance.
Try watching The Social Network or Red Riding: 1984. He’s more impressive in those.
if he has a big package, then it should show….otherwise photoshop it
Andrew is such an excellent actor. Was totally screwed out of an Oscar nom for Social Network. He’s good in everything he does, so I”m sure he’ll be great in this. And he’s pretty damn cute.
I am all about equity so I have no problem for male nudity. Female nudity is so gratuitous in flims generally so why not have some for the men. This is such a silly discussion. Why does handling an already covered penis need to be handled delicately? It’s like all of Hollywood are perverts thinking about penises but afraid to admit it so they create faux controversies so they can titillate themselves by talking about it.
Also, I do not know why Toby Maguire was replaced. The new Spiderman looks older.
“Why does handling an already covered penis need to be handled delicately?”
Check out Craigslist; there’s plenty of people who would prefer it to be handled in a manner that’s anything *but* delicate.
Idiots, all of you! Stop equating a pair of breasts to a penis. Its equivalent is the vulva, and unless I start seeing vulva (and not hidden vulva) in mainstream movies, I don’t want to see friggin’ penises.
Seriously! And take a weed whacker to Dry Brush Canyon while you’re at it, ladies.
Soooo very gayyyy !
My Spidey sense is tingling … down there!
It’s funny how many straight guys are so scared of male nudity, are you afraid you will be turned on? Or that your gf will see what a real man looks like?
But I do want to see Andrew’s bulge! He is soooo cute and sexy! Please, offend me!
Breasts aren’t comparable to a penis. Vagina is comparable to penis.
This isn’t a rated R movie.
When a woman can spread her legs open exposing an open vagina THEN we can start showing penises… Breasts aren’t comparable to penis.
When it comes to R rated movies, there’s no mystery why you see so little male frontal nudity. A majority of films are produced and directed by men that don’t want to see a penis on screen. Many female directors don’t even show male frontal nudity. When it’s shown in a comedy, it’s played for laughs, when it’s a drama, it’s often so brief, it surely isn’t going to arouse those turned on by male nudity.
Um, the package is part of a man’s body. And yes, you will get a hint of its presence in jeans, khakis, and superhero costumes. This double standard, this silly body talk… get over it everyone!