“A lot of people will tell you that summer is the time to head outside and enjoy Mother Nature. We say, nonsense! Why would you want to mess with the heat and all those ants when you could be sitting in an air-conditioned IMAX theater on July 3, when The Amazing Spider-Man opens? Speaking of Spidey, Marvel’s web-slinging superhero swings his way to the top of our annual Summer Must List issue — your essential guide to all of the best movies, TV, music, and books of the season. If you notice something different about the masked man on our cover, you’re not alone. Since we last saw him in 2007′s Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker & Co. have undergone some major changes. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and Sam Raimi are gone (thanks for the memories, guys!); Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Marc Webb are in (the pressure’s on, guys!). In our early look at one of this summer’s most feverishly anticipated tentpoles, we get all of the inside scoop from Garfield, Stone, Webb, and Rhys Ifans — who plays Spidey’s latest onscreen nemesis, Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. The Lizard. You’ll also learn the fateful origin story of how Garfield’s landed the role of a lifetime. The 28-year-old Social Network star grew up idolizing Peter Parker and even had the photo to prove it — a family snapshot of him at age 3 in a Spider-Man costume, which he sent to director Marc Webb after he auditioned for the part. When he sent the picture, Garfield was sure he wasn’t going to get the role, but it was his way of saying thank you for the experience. Says Webb, “That photo killed me. And with it, Andrew wrote a very moving email about why Spider-Man had such an impact on him. He’d felt bullied as a kid, and Spider-Man allowed him to work out those issues in his imagination. You almost get the sense that playing this part was his destiny.” Over the past few months, as fans have finally gotten a peek at the trailers and teasers of The Amazing Spider-Man with its eye-candy 3-D f/x, it’s quickly become one of this summer’s must-see movies. But back when the re-launch was first announced in January of 2010, diehards’ Spidey senses were tingling. And not in a good way. To them, the film was a big-budget referendum on how soon is too soon to reboot a superhero franchise. Especially since Garfield and Webb were relative unknowns. As a fan, Garfield understood the concerns. The one thing that put his mind at ease was an early endorsement from his predecessor. “Tobey sent an email to one of the producers saying that he thought I was a good choice,” says Garfield. “that was moving for me and generous of him. It allowed me to worry about one less thing.” Adds Webb, whose only previous film was the indie rom-com (500) Days of Summer, “Look, there are always cynical people, but that’s part of the game. Spider-Man in a perennial character, and ultimately what our film is about is a kid who grows up looking for his father and finds himself. That’s a Spider-Man story we haven’t seen before. We’re coming at it from a different angle. It’s not a remake of Sam’s movie.” Webb’s right about that. The Amazing Spider-Man is more focused on Peter Parker as an existential teen loner, grappling with the mystery of what happened to his dead father. Another difference is a new love interest for our wall-crawler. Mary Jane Watson is out, Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy is in. For those unfamiliar with the Spidey comics, Gwen is Peter’s first true love. Garfield and Stone had never met before she auditioned for the part. But the actress says she and her costar had immediate chemistry — which quickly sparked into an offscreen romance. “A lot of our scenes are scripted,” says Stone. “But there are moments that aren’t, where we were able to find whatever it was we were looking for playing two kids who were falling in love for the first time.”
“I think she’s a phenomenal person. I don’t talk about anything personal, but I can talk about working with her. She’s such a huge talent and just full of life. She’s incredibly spontaneous and present, so every moment is something new and something unexpected — to work with that is the ultimate thing. Really, I could talk for a long time about it. She’s going places. [Smiles.] You know what I mean? She’s going to be fine.”
(Source: dontyoudarecloseyoureyes)
@TheaterAdvisor: Meryl Streep moderating Linda Emond, Andrew Garfield, Phillip Seymor Hoffman and Mike Nichols
Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone invite you to see The Amazing Spider-man in theaters, July 3rd. (x)
(Source: markofthespiderman)
EMMA STONE is having quite an effect on Andrew Garfield. The actor, who stars as Biff Loman in “Death of a Salesman” at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre, paid quite a compliment to Stone — who co-stars with him in “The Amazing Spider-Man” — at the New York Drama Critics Circle awards reception at Angus McIndoe restaurant on Monday night. Daily News theater critic Joe Dziemianowicz reports that Garfield, who gave a career achievement award to his “Death” director, Mike Nichols, told the audience: “Very few people shape your life.” The trio he then listed: “a street busker, my girlfriend and Mike Nichols.”
New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards (May 14, 2012)
Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone say goodbye to her mom, Krista, in New York City on Sunday, May 13. After spending Mother’s Day together, the actor helped load her luggage into the cab before heading back into the city with his girl and their dog.
