Rejection can sometimes be a blessing in disguise, and that’s exactly what happened to Andrew Garfield, who saw his career soar to new heights after losing a role he badly wanted. The actor is widely recognized for his Spider-Man/Peter Parker role in Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man films; though, he also managed to break away from being typecast after he won an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 2016’s Hacksaw Ridge and 2021’s Tick, Tick… Boom!.
Garfield’s career was not as stellar as it looks today. Like any other budding actor trying to find that one role that would catapult him to stardom, he also faced rejections that made him question the movie industry.
Andrew Garfield Was Rejected For A Role Because He Wasn’t “Handsome Enough”
The Social Network actor Andrew Garfield once shared that he tried to bag the titular role of Prince Caspian in the Walt Disney franchise The Chronicles of Narnia. Prince Caspian is the second installment in the fantasy film series, and Garfield failed to steal the lead part that would eventually go to Ben Barnes. He shared in his interview with Entertainment Tonight:
“I remember I was so desperate. I auditioned for Prince Caspian in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, and I thought, ‘This could be it, this could be it.’ And that handsome, brilliant actor Ben Barnes ended up getting the role. I think it was down to me and him, and I remember I was obsessed.”
A fellow Marvel actor, Ben Barnes starred in Netflix’s The Punisher as Billy Russo, a.k.a. Jigsaw. Garfield kept questioning himself why he was rejected, and he further explained how he begged his agent to tell him the reason. He added:
“She eventually just broke under my incessant nagging, and she was like, ‘It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew.’”
Garfield laughed it off and commended Barnes for doing a great job as Prince Caspian, so the No Way Home star was not entirely bitter about it. He concluded:
“Ben Barnes is a very handsome, talented man, so in retrospect, I’m not unhappy with the decision, and I think he did a beautiful job.”
Little did Garfield know that what he thought was a stroke of bad luck actually saved him from a franchise that would eventually die and vanish into thin air.
What Would Happen If Andrew Garfield Was Cast As Prince Caspian?
The Chronicles of Narnia started as a raging success for both Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, yet the critical and commercial acclaim diminished with each installment as they failed to capture the magic and essence of the first film. Many fans criticized the accuracy of the screen adaptations, claiming it veered away too far from C.S. Lewis’ books. Had Andrew Garfield been cast as Prince Caspian, his career would have plummeted down the drain along with the franchise.
Ben Barnes was well-loved by the audience, but his career after starring in the Narnia series did not witness any boost aside from starring in a couple of TV shows. Garfield found his niche in the superhero genre and eventually landed on the role of Spider-Man which would carry him to worldwide fame. He was also given bigger movie projects that earned him two Oscar awards.
It is also possible that Garfield might have never joined the Spider-Man franchise had he won the Prince Caspian role. The casting director would find him too handsome for the part of Peter Parker, who is supposed to be awkward and nerdy.
Barnes also had to reprise his role in the third Narnia installment, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which came out around the same time Sony was preparing for the filming of The Amazing Spider-Man. In this case, Garfield would have nightmares dealing with scheduling conflicts.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is available to stream via Disney+.
Source: Entertainment Tonight
