How would it feel if an actor who is incredibly attractive, like Andrew Garfield, was told that he was not “handsome enough” to land a role? Unbelievable, of course.
Andrew Garfield, who is best known for playing the web-swinging superhero in The Amazing Spider-Man film series, made his feature film debut in 2007 with the movie Lions for Lambs. The ensemble cast of this movie included Michael Pena, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, and Tom Cruise.
Garfield has brought the internet to its knees ever since his return to the big screen in Tick, Tick… Boom! and Spider-Man: No Way Home. It is difficult to imagine anyone being able to resist the actor’s allure as the current internet craze. He is praised for both his outstanding acting skills and his sharp, pure sense of humor. But things did not always rosy for the Silence actor.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe actor once revealed that he had a very sad reason for losing out to Ben Barnes in the 2008 Andrew Adamson film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
Despite co-starring with Cruise in Lions for Lambs, Garfield was unsuccessful in landing the role of Disney’s Prince Caspian.
Was Andrew Garfield Not Hot Enough to Play Prince Caspian?
Andrew Garfield, who was 25 at the time, reportedly was not given the lead role in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian in 2008 because he was not “handsome enough”, which may sound absurd.
The actor, now 40, shared this tragic tale in a previous interview with Variety:
“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.”
After being passed over for the part, Garfield asked his agent:
“Why not me?”
Under the actor’s constant nagging and pressure, his agent eventually just broke and:
“She was like, ‘It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew.’”
The Amazing Spider-Man actor went on to say:
“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.”
Garfield began his acting career around the time the first film of The Chronicles of Narnia series was released (2005).
He had a critically acclaimed lead role in Boy A (2007) and supporting roles in Lions for Lambs and The Other Boleyn Girl.
He Called Lions for Lambs a ‘Ridiculous First Movie to Do’
Following his highly-publicized appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home and his part in the musical movie Tick, Tick… Boom!, Andrew Garfield was at an all-time high in his career.
He has worked hard to establish his adaptability, making appearances in everything from dramas to superhero movies. But, in his opinion, his first film role was simply “ridiculous”.
A late 2021 interview with Garfield covered his first acting experience in Tom Cruise starrer Lions for Lambs. He told the following to Wired:
“[It was] a ridiculous first movie to do because Robert Redford was directing and starring [Lions for Lambs]. Next on the call sheet was Meryl Streep. And then, after Meryl Streep was Thomas Cruise. Then after that, it was this little child called Andrew Garfield, who had never made a film before. And that’s ridiculous.”
Lions for Lambs struggled at the box office despite having a stellar cast due to unfavorable reviews and underwhelming box office receipts. Many criticized the film for its cliched message. The movie was also regarded as one of Cruise’s least successful efforts.
Despite the failure of Lions for Lambs at the box office, Garfield’s career was unaffected. He soon bagged roles in movies like The Other Boleyn Girl and The Social Network.
He is currently one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
You can watch Lions for Lambs on DIRECTV and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is streaming on Disney Plus.
Source- Variety
