Spider-Man: No Way Home is more than just a success; it’s a cultural moment that has brought out the entire world in a big way. Part of that success is, of course, its “celebration” of the past of the franchise in bringing back both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as the friendly web-slinger. It was a bold and crazy move that could have backfired hard but paid off in spades. But how did it all come about, and will there be any more? Pete Hammond got the chance to interview all three Spider-Man actors — Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland — about Spider-Man: No Way Home, and it’s a pretty incredible watch, if for nothing more than to discover how they all got pulled back in.
There’s a lot of discussion about the purity of the intention of Spider-Man: No Way Home, that it wasn’t just to cash in on nostalgia but to tell a creative and celebratory story. That could come across as total BS if the film didn’t actually turn out to feel incredibly genuine in and of itself. It’s clear that all three actors got along incredibly well, and their interplay shows up on a screen. The interview discussion with Andrew Garfield about how his and the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man characters were integral to Tom Holland Peter Parker truly becoming Spider-Man is really interesting.
So is Garfield’s admission that lying about being in the movie for a year was incredibly hard, especially since he was on press tours for two major films. “I definitely think I had it the hardest,” the actor said. “Thrust into the world and having to lie for the sake of that audience reaction … I had fun with it.” He was definitely the one who had to deny it the most — and at times his protests got a bit convoluted — but he did sew just a bit of doubt after early leaks hit.
There’s also a bit of discussion about the future of the franchise. Maguire said that he isn’t “closing the door” on the character, giving maybe just a hint of a chance that he could return again (possibly in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?). As far as Holland goes, while nothing has been confirmed, discussion from Amy Pascal about a new trilogy and the conclusion of No Way Home seem to hint strongly that he’ll be returning to the role for at least one more film.
