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Chapter - 218
🕑 Added 2025-09-02 17:27:44 +0000 UTC[Title : Interview And Backlash]
….
The suite at the Mercer Hotel had been dressed for the interview.
A small table sat between two armchairs, a recorder blinking red, glasses of water sweating lightly against coasters.
From the street below came the distant chorus of honking cabs and New York impatience, but up here, the atmosphere was subdued, professional.
Mark Ellison, a journalist with more than two decades in the film industry - studied the young actor across from him.
Andrew Garfield still carried that unpolished charm - the half-smile that made him seem equal parts confident and vulnerable.
There was no sign of Hollywood arrogance. He sat with his hands clasped, shoulders loose, as though afraid of taking up too much space.
Ellison clicked his pen once, an old habit of his before asking the question that sat on everyone’s mind.
“So Andrew.” He began, his voice steady but curious. “Do you consider Spider-Man the dream job of all time?”
“Undoubtedly.” Garfield’s face broke into a grin almost instantly, like a child caught with a secret. “Making a debut with such a role? I am just gratified. Honestly, it still feels surreal.”
Ellison kept his gaze steady, tilting his head just slightly before pressing on. “But… still. Are you not afraid of getting typecast? Or are you going to embrace being Spider-Man for as long as it lasts?”
Garfield shrugged. “I am embracing it, I am not really afraid of being typecast anyway. Peter Parker isn’t a cage, he is layered, too human. If anything, it is a privilege.”
Ellison nodded slowly, and moved onto the next question. “How long does it actually take to shoot a Spider-Man movie?”
“Three to four months.” Garfield answered, his brow knitting slightly as he considered the timeline. “That’s just principal photography, of course. We had schedule breaks. But before that? Months of prep, costume fittings, stunt training, wire rehearsals, and after filming, all the computer stuff takes ages.”
Ellison smiled faintly, tapping the pen against his lip before sliding into the question most fans were dying to know. “Actually, I am curious about your special workout. Because from the trailer, and especially when you turn into Spider-Man - you are muscular as hell.”
Garfield laughed, head tipping back, his hand running through his hair as if embarrassed by the memory. “I worked out for five months, six days a week, up to four hours a day.” He said. “It was intense, definitely the hardest I have pushed myself physically.”
Ellison jotted the detail down, the number underlined twice in his notes, before arching a brow. “So… did that mean eating more too?”
“Absolutely.” Garfield said with a rueful chuckle. “I had a nutritionist. I was eating four to six meals a day with lots of protein in take, chicken, fish, shakes, repeat. A dream job, sure, but not exactly a dream diet.”
The pen clicked again. Ellison leaned back this time, giving Garfield space to fill the silence. “Were you competing with a lot of guys for the role, or was it clear from the beginning that you were going to be Spider-Man?”
Garfield hesitated, looking down for a moment before answering. “Uh, in Regal’s mind, I believe I was the guy. But the studio wasn’t sold on me immediately.”
Ellison leaned forward now, sensing the edge of a story. “I heard you had to do a test shoot to make them agree.”
“It was a bit of a process, yeah.” Garfield admitted, he gestured loosely with his hand, as though brushing the weight of the memory into the air. “We did shoot some film, but I wouldn’t call it a test shoot. It’s in the movie, Regal doesn’t like wasting time, and he is very clear about how much film he needs and how much he doesn’t.”
Ellison's pen froze mid-scribble. He raised his eyebrows. “Hm, I wonder if the studio had plans for other faces.”
Garfield’s answer came with a shake of his head. “I am not sure who they wanted in the role, or who they were suggesting. I heard so many names, but it was all rumors as far as I knew. In the end, all that mattered was this was the role I wanted, and they were convinced once they saw the tape.”
Ellison leaned back slightly, flipping to the final page of his notes. Garfield noticed the shift in rhythm immediately, his own posture straightening as though bracing himself.
“Alright…” Ellison said, his tone suddenly careful, almost teasing. “Let’s wrap this with one last question.”
Andrew chuckled, already wary. “Should I brace myself?”
“That depends.” Ellison replied. “On whether the leak we heard is true… or false.”
Garfield tilted his head, lips curling into a nervous smile. “Guess you should ask away then.”
Ellison hesitated only a beat before laying it out. “Is Robert Downey Jr. playing a character in [Spider-Man: Web of Destiny]?”
For a moment Andrew said nothing, the pause was noticeable, deliberate. He had been hit with this before, at other junkets and sit-downs, reporters circled the same rumor, testing his composure.
And outside these rooms, the debate raged louder.
Editorials called Regal’s choice reckless, commentators sneered:
–Robert Downey Jr. has spent more time in rehab and courtrooms than on set. Why should audiences, or insurers, trust him?
–Is this meant to be a superhero or a super relapse?
–First superhero film under MDC, first for Regal… and their gamble is a liability?
–One binge and the whole movie collapses.
Even Regal’s most loyal fans struggled to defend it. For once, the praise machine hesitated, the backlash stung.
Regal himself had been furious at how the casting even leaked - furious that the conversation now revolved around doubt instead of vision.
But if the whispers bothered him, he never showed it.
Not once did Andrew see a flicker of regret in him, on the contrary - Regal looked more determined than ever to let the film itself silence the noise.
And so Garfield knew he couldn’t afford to look uncertain either.
He leaned forward, voice even. “I can’t reveal much, but yes… Mr. RDJ will be playing a crucial role in the film.”
Is he now?
Well, Andrew wasn't sure either.
All he knew is RDJ is indeed playing a role in the film - but Regal never really relived what it will be, or how much of a screen space he will be having.
Regal just informed him that - just say its crucial role - when asked.
…and that's what he had been doing.
Ellison exhaled softly, smiling as though satisfied with that morsel. “Then we will look forward to it, for what it’s worth, I thought you were terrific in the trailer. You really sold Peter Parker.”
Andrew’s shoulders eased at that, gratitude slipping into his tone. “Thank you, that means a lot.”
The red light on the recorder blinked one last time before Ellison clicked it off, his notebook closed with a snap.
The interview was done.
But as the quiet settled, Garfield remained the same - humble, restless, still processing the enormity of it all.
Spider-Man was him.
And despite the noise outside, he was ready to prove it.
….
Andrew’s days blurred into a carousel of interviews, late-night shows, and magazine spreads, the sort of promotional grind that could overwhelm even seasoned actors.
Despite being the new face in Regal’s growing universe, he was front and center in nearly every campaign.
Regal didn’t hesitate for a second to push him as the face of the film, making it clear to press and public alike that this wasn’t just another superhero movie -
It was Andrew’s Spider-Man.
The gamble was unusual for the time.
Hollywood had rarely bet this heavily on a young actor without a powerful family name or industry “godfather” backing them.
But Regal understood something most didn’t: audiences wanted authenticity.
And Andrew had it in spades, viewers noticed his restless charm, the way he fumbled earnestly in interviews, his gratitude that never felt rehearsed.
What gave him an edge was Regal’s clever strategy.
He had quietly filmed Andrew’s physical transformation - grueling gym sessions, wire-work training, stunt rehearsals - and began releasing those clips alongside interviews.
It wasn’t just marketing; it was narrative building.
The public saw a scrawny young man working himself into shape, sweating, stumbling, then trying again.
They weren’t just getting a Spider-Man - they were watching one being forged in real time.
Audiences, in general, loved nothing more than cheering for hard work and an underdog.
Social media picked up the clips like wildfire, fans cutting together montages of Andrew’s journey from hopeful auditionee to masked hero.
Regal, who understood the crowd’s pulse better than anyone, had manufactured the perfect storm: sympathy, admiration, and anticipation.
Even critics who doubted Andrew at first had to concede there was something magnetic about him, something earnest that no marketing budget could fake.
Regal knew better than to underestimate the power of such raw crowd support - it could silence even the loudest detractors and, if handled right, could turn Spider-Man from just another film into a cultural moment.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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Comments
Anderson
Thanks for the chapter
