Andrew Garfield Talks About Going Bankrupt In Revealing Interview

Andrew Garfield has always yearned to play the "Spider-Man" role from his childhood years. Ever since his mother dressed him up in a spider-man costume, he had fantasized about the comic hero. As he grew, he immersed himself into the life of Peter Parker, who was bitten by a spider and got superpowers as a result.

However, his life turned around when Sony Pictures announced him to be the next Spider-Man. According to them, he had the "physical attributes and enthusiasm, plus an understanding of the task at hand that the studio believes are needed to kick-start the highly lucrative franchise into a new lease of life."

The director of "Spider-Man," Mark Webb, also added that Garfield has "a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity."

Although it was a dizzy realization for an actor primarily known for his role in "Red Riding" and "Boy A," the 24-year-old mentioned that he was ready to surmount any challenges hurled at him.

"I'm incredibly excited. I see it as a real honor to take on such important mythology that I've invested a lot of my personal life in ever since I was four years old and first understood the concept of justice and the concept of flying and swinging through New York. It's like I've been preparing for it for most of my life."

When Garfield became a teenager, his father became bankrupt. In his interview with Bustle, he explained that it was the best thing to happen to him.

"He realized all the people he loved were still there," Garfield explained. "His wife, his kids, his friends, himself. He was brought to his knees and humbled, and then he started doing more of what he was called to do."

His father eventually got a job at the local club as a swimming coach. Garfield admitted that this event taught him one important lesson.

"My main goal in this life is to cultivate and rub up against the people, the places, the projects, the practices — that's alliteration there with the p's — that make me feel most alive," he concluded.

The actor was born in Los Angeles to a British mother, Lynn, and an American father, Richard. When he was three years old, his parents moved from the United States to Epsom Surrey to be closer to his grandparents.

"I'm fortunate because it means I don't identify with any place," he chipped in. "It means I've had my father's accent and value system in one ear and my mother's accent and value system in the other, and it's a beautiful balance.

They are wonderful parents, and they encouraged me to attempt to be an artist, which I think is extremely rare in this world because there is no such career as that. It's unsafe, so I'm fortunate."

He also added that his parents strongly supported his interest in the comic hero.

"When my mum dressed me in the costume, she and my dad explained what it meant and explained what Spider-Man stood for, and how he was just a teenager and skinny and small and goes through the same problems as all teenagers, but he is stronger inside than he looks on the outside. That became important to me, and it's something I've dealt with my whole life. Spider-Man has all the elements I can relate to."

After Garfield left high school, he trained at London's Central Speech and Drama. From there, he began his foray into acting.

He began to land minor roles and later rose to the spotlight in "Boy A" as he played a young convict recently released from prison after serving time for murder.

Earlier that year, his name was mentioned as a potential cast for the Spiderman role. Other actors included Jamie Bell, Zac Efron, and Logan Lerman.

"I think Mark Webb and the production team had seen a movie I had done and also an audition I had done for another film, and I was told they were considering me," he began. "I kind of thought they were crazy, but at the same time, I was like: 'No, maybe they're not crazy.' It was a wonderful duality. Then I got the call, and it was a dream come true."

The actor has an appreciative perspective on his success. He explained that he doesn't think he's successful as his career streak was due to luck.

I don't deem myself successful," he mentioned. "I put most of my happiness down to luck, and I'm enjoying it as much as I can and being as generous as I can with it as well.

I trained with 35 other young actors who were equally talented or more talented than me, and there are so many people who do not get their just desserts."