When it comes to live-action Spider-Man actors, there are three names that come to mind: Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland. Garfield, who is promoting his latest project, We Live in Time, chose his favorite iteration of the Marvel hero in a recent interview.
Speaking with Vanity Fair alongside his We Live in Time co-star Florence Pugh, Garfield had a tough time picking between Maguire and Holland. He ended up choosing the former, but for good reason. Pugh eventually asked if it was Maguire, to which Garfield replied, “Kind of.” He then explained his reasoning.
“It’s kind of a caveat answer, I’m afraid,” he said. “Tobey was my guy. I was in drama school, and I was watching his films when I was a young, impressionable actor, and I was practicing being him. And what Tom has done is incredible as well.
“I kind of love them both equally. But because I was at a formative part of my life, Tobey is like that of like, That is my Spider-man. It’s the Spider-Man I grew up with and trying to emulate. But I really have so much admiration for Tom, so I’m not gonna choose,” he continued.
All three of the Spider-Man actors teamed up in Holland’s No Way Home. It brought several generations of fans of the superhero together in one of the biggest pop culture moments ever.
Andrew Garfield’s post-Spider-Man career
Since starring as the web-slinger in Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man series, Andrew Garfield has starred in a variety of projects. His breakthrough post-Spider-Man came in Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge. Garfield played Desmond Doss in the biographical drama and earned his first career Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
He then worked with Martin Scorsese, starring in Silence alongside Adam Driver and Liam Neeson. Garfield’s other notable credits include Under the Silver Lake and The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
In 2022, Garfield landed his second Oscar nomination. The nomination was for his performance in Tick, Tick, Boom. It is a biopic of Jonathan Larson’s life based on his musical of the same name. Lin-Manuel Miranda directed it in his directorial debut.
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He returned to the small screen in 2022, starring in FX on Hulu’s Under the Banner of Heaven. The series follows two detectives who are investigating a murder and its connection to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Garfield starred in it with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Wyatt Russell.
His return to Spider-Man in No Way Home was a smash hit. The Marvel movie grossed nearly $2 billion at the box office. Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, and Marisa Tomei also starred in it. Other former Spider-Man villain actors, such as Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina, also reprised their roles.
Currently, Garfield is promoting his new drama, We Live in Time. The A24 movie also stars Florence Pugh and is directed by John Crawley, who is known for directing Brooklyn.
It follows the relationship of Tobias (Garfield) and Almut (Pugh) over a decade. They navigate various problems, including a cancer diagnosis and having a child.