Hasta La Gadget!

The next blockbuster comic book film headed to theaters this summer is The Amazing Spider-Man, and we got the opportunity earlier this month to speak to none other than the friendly neighborhood super-hero himself: Andrew Garfield. As part of a press junket in New York City that included everyone from Emma Stone to Martin Sheen [our talk coming up later this week], including the director Marc Webb as well, it was Garfield who came off as the single most jolted and excited cast or crew member involved. Have a read on how Garfield jumped into the role of Peter Parker and his superhero alternate identity Spider-Man below, and don’t forget to keep your mask on!

Be sure to check out our first look at The Amazing Spider-Man from earlier this month as well. We’ve also got a talk coming up that will let you dive deep into the world visual effects on the film this week. For now though, head on down to Andrew Garfield’s take on the whole experience!

[Q] Hi Andrew, first off, congratulations on everything.

[Andrew Garfield] Oh thanks. On my life, hah. I do have a very blessed life, thank you.

[Q] I wonder if you could talk about the difference between doing low-tech stagecraft [such as with Death of a Salesman] and this, a huge blockbuster?

[AG] It’s not much different, actually, weirdly enough. In terms of how I approached it, my only intention was to honor the character. That goes for Biff Loman as well as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. That was everything to me. So, my approach was the same – just from my heart and guts. I got very upset and stressed out and wanted to do a good job, as is my way. And that’s kind of it. I mean, there were certain things that were challenging about both, of course.

You know, the repetition of going through trauma every night on stage is a killer and your body doesn’t know it’s not real, even if your mind does. So, your body is in a lot of pain and your heart is in a lot of pain. But it’s worth it. I will always think about that theatre experience all my life. I will hold it very, very close to me.

Garfield poses with cast members in NYC for The Amazing Spider-Man earlier this month.

[AG] And then with this movie, the technical aspects – the only thing that was kind of a challenge was that it was difficult to get into a rhythm because of the 3D cameras. The new technology was difficult for everyone involved. They take a lot of care and delicacy, so it meant that we were stopped occasionally. I love just going and going and going and keep it rolling, keep it rolling and screwing up and screwing up and screwing up, then occasionally you accidentally get something right and you won’t know how. That’s kind of how I like to work. And that’s why I loved working with David Fincher because he does so many takes. I discovered how that kind of painful exactness really suits me, so that was cool.

[Q] In this film you use the mechanical web-shooters. Did any of them actually work – did anything happen [when you activate them]?

[AG] Um… hah…. do I lie or not… um, no, it was a nice exercise in imagination, and that carjacker scene we had the ah – that was all improvised, that scene, so I had this idea that I could draw the Spidey image over the guy’s crotch, and I think at one point they had that in there and they took it out. (I thought it was kind of cool.) But no, to be able to have that imagination do whatever you want and know that they could add it in in post was kind of liberating so I could shut that door on that guy as many times as I want, I could web him in the face, I could web a long shot – It was kind of fun. But difficult, because if it was real, it would have been awesome if it was real.

[Q] I interviewed Andy Armstrong about the swinging rigs that he built and he talked about all the training you put in to actually be able to get up there and swing yourself. What was the experience like in actually using those rigs and actually being able to get up there and swing?

[AG] Thanks for the question – any mention of Andy Armstrong and my heart swells. He kind of turned into a father figure for me on this film and remains that way. He… I can’t… I will write a book about him one day. He… his team are the safest group of hands you could ever hope to meet, and passionate, supportive, loving – it’s a tribe that he has. And he was generous enough to allow me to be a part of that tribe. I got no special treatment and it was amazing for that very, very, very reason.

He’s a real person and he likes real people and we had an amazing time. He pushes me, you know, there were things I was scared about and like any good father he kind of told me: ‘Go beyond. Go beyond what you think you can do, ’cause you might surprise yourself.’ So for that reason it’s kind of a spiritually overwhelming sort of experience to work with him, and of course that combines with that sensation, that physical sensation that I wanted to do since I was 3, probably what everyone in this room has wanted to do since they were 3 years old: I got to live that for a second. I’m eternally grateful to everyone at Sony Pictures for allowing me to.

[Q] Have you received any feedback from Toby McGuire about your portrayal of the character, and if so, how did you take it?

[AG] Ah… to my knowledge he hasn’t seen the movie, but I got feedback from the casting – when I got cast he sent an email to Matt Tolmach immediately that was very, very generous, and made me feel like I could take the torch in confidence and that I had that support in him. He didn’t need to do that, it tells you something about his person. We’re all part of that family, that Spider-Man family.

[Q] How would you describe the wonderful work that Spider-Man does in regards to him being called a vigilante?

[AG] What’s cool about this movie is that he discovers… he discovers the power of what he’s created. He doesn’t create this… he doesn’t create this symbol with any kind of high-mindedness, he creates it so he can protect himself. Because he’s searching for his uncle’s killer. And I think that he is a vigilante for a period of this story, of this particular story. And I think it’s true for any teenager who goes through that amount of tragic events to have those impulses – to kick out, and rebel, and use their powers in a way that you’re not thinking responsibly. They’re not even thinking at all.

[AG] I think that whole section is Peter running away from his feelings – Peter running away from the pain, the guilt, and putting it in something physical, and sweating it out. And when he comes home to Aunt May it’s sort of very difficult to be seen in that way and to see yourself in that way. So yeah, I think there is a period where he’s acting out on those kinds of impulses, and he accidentally discovers that he’s created something bigger than him, and that can be used for good. I think it – it was important for me that he started with a heroic impulse, he, without the physical powers doing things with it.

And that was always how I felt growing up, I felt like I was a dog and I felt like I was a skinny kid and – now I’m not obviously, I’m a just like, huge bruiser. So I got over that problem. Now I just realize that being skinny is ok, you know? I always feel I should have been bigger for that reason, because if I actually told you that, I guess – although for example like everybody played rugby, and I played rugby, and I was good at it but I got concussed all the time because I was a weakling, So that’s something I would identify with for Peter, you know, he always just felt stronger on the inside than he did on the outside.

And there’s nothing better than seeing a skinny guy beat the crap out of big guys. So that was just kind of important for me.

[Q] You say in a lot of interviews how much just Spider-Man truly meant to you as a child growing up and this end result now, and [Marc Webb] has mentioned that you wrote a personal note to him that really moved him. I’m wondering if in your long history with Spider-Man you – can you tell us what it was like to meet Stan Lee for the first time and how that ranked as far as maybe like nerve-racking experiences inclusive with things like auditioning for this role which is nerve-racking enough?

[AG] Yeah, yeah, I’ve been at this for the past two years, it seems like, every day there’s been something that like has made me have to suppress shaking. So, but Stan Lee was a weird one because… he wasn’t real. He’s too iconic to be real. So it wasn’t like I was in a room with a human being, it was like I was in a room with a wax figure, you know? I was at Madame Tussauds.

It… It made no sense. I wasn’t nervous, I was just like… I was one of those annoying people who is like *makes open faced gawking expression* And he was just like… *waves hand in front of face* ‘I’m here…’ And he’s amazing, he’s everything that you think he is.

Stan Lee also appears in The Amazing Spider-Man video game as a playable character.

[Q] When did you meet him?

[AG] He came on set, so I met him in the makeup trailer once, and then he came on set again and he did this amazing cameo in the library… It was just, it was just beautiful because when you really truly understand what he’s given to us… he’s given so many kids hope, and joy, and you cannot thank enough for that. It was like being in a room with Mickey Mouse, you know, it was bizarre. So I wasn’t actually nervous, in a weird way. That was the one day I wasn’t actually nervous.

[Q] You’ve said you want to audition for every part that you want. Why is it that you feel you have to audition? Is it a challenge, and what do you get out of it?

[AG] Sometimes there are actors who reach a certain level of notoriety or visibility where they don’t need – they may get offered roles based on their monetary value or the idea that they will bring in an audience. They may not be right for the part or they may not serve the story in the way that they should. I’m not saying that I’m in that position, I’m just saying that that is something that I fear.

Like, here’s a weird analogy: if you’re in a pool hall and you’re playing pool and you have to put in 50 cents every time, you’re going to enjoy that game because you paid for it. But if you figured out a way to jimmy the thing and you can get a free game of pool out of it, you’re not going to care so much about the game.

There’s something in that about feeling like you’ve earned something as opposed to just being handed something. And luckily I haven’t experienced that. I’ve had to work for everything that I’ve been a part of, and there’s just something satisfying about it because you know that they looked at everyone and that you are the right person for that particular story at that particular moment. I guess there’s something about staying grounded and humble, and making sure that you appreciate everything you have as well.

[Q] You had one of the most memorable introductions at Comic Con [as seen in the video above]. Why did you choose to go that full confessional route? Did you feel like you needed to or were you driven to and you thought that was the right audience?

[AG] It wasn’t really thought out. I was compelled, for many reasons I think – if I analyze it. I am terrified to take on this role because it means so much to me, so I know how much it means to other people. And I think it has something to do with actors being on stage… I wanted to be on the ground. I wanted to be in the audience watching the panel. I didn’t want to be in the panel. That’s where I thought I just belonged more, so I guess I just kind of extended that idea.

I kind of wanted to do the whole speech in the mask, just out of sheer protection, you know? There is something odd about the separation between actors and the audience that I don’t really care for. That’s why I love theatre so much. That’s why I loved the great show that was here in New York called “Sleep No More”, which is all audience participation. You basically walk around and you’re immersed in the experience, and there’s no separation from the actors and the audience.

I don’t know – I’m not really answering your question. I just wanted to feel connected to the fans in a real way because I’m a fan first and foremost. It just felt like the right thing to do. It was a scary thing because who knows what would have happened. But it just felt like an opportunity to have fun as well.

[Q] What did you do to make sure you got the part of playing a teenager right – not necessarily a teenager who develops powers? Is there research that you did?

[AG] agree that the teenage element is incredibly vital to this particular superhero and this person, this character. The fact that he goes through the same stuff I went through, that’s why I love him so much. Because I thought if I was him. That’s why everyone feels like he’s him because he’s all of us. He really is.

So the teenage thing, I don’t know. I did spend time in Queens hanging out with teenagers and a lot of recording the voice and intonation and picking up phrases that I might not be aware of or a general attitude. That malaise and the awkward shyness – every aspect.

There was a great book I found for inspiration called “Teenage”, which is a book of photographs. I wouldn’t buy it because it’s too expensive, but actually the marketing department at Sony bought it for me very, very generously as a gift. I saw the price and I’m like, ‘You guys are crazy! Thank you so much.’ But it’s awesome. The energy of the photos in that is what I wanted to capture. It’s tongue on tongue.

[AG] It’s just head out the window, that need to express, that need to kick the walls down irrationally.

Which, when you combine that with being a superhero, that is kind of exciting. There’s that scene on Gwen’s bedroom floor where she’s nursing me and we have an intimate, kind of heavy moment of like she’s terrified I’m going to die and I’m terrified of what I’ve done to my mentor. At the end of that scene it’s – ‘Let’s just get out of here. We’ve got to get out of here.’

In a previous version – we shot a lot more – we have a date night where it’s expressive and free and teenage and romantic and silly. But that feeling is something that I really wanted to capture, especially in those moments between Gwen and Peter.

So, “Teenage”. Check out that book. It’s too expensive. Find someone who has it and look at the pictures. You’ll be like, ‘Oh god – I remember that feeling.’

[Q] Can you compare and contrast kissing scenes with killing scenes and doing romance as opposed to doing death-defying action on screen?

[AG] They’re all pretty scary things. Hah. Yeah, they’re all pretty scary. I actually felt more safe when I was swinging around because you have a very, very strong safe pair of hands holding you up. In the romantic scenes, I’m free-falling in a way, as they should be. They have to be spontaneous and free and terrifying, because that’s what first love is.

First love is the scariest thing to ever go through and the most exhilarating. You’ve got so much to lose. So they were actually more frightening than swinging through the buildings, in a weird way. And especially because it’s Emma, and she’s terrifying.

[Q] Could you talk about the physical transformation you had to go through, the training, and the stunt coordinating? Was there a particular moment you’re really proud of?

[AG] It’s so nice to be able to look at a movie and feel ownership. It’s a really nice thing to be able to feel that, because of Andy’s trust and his encouragement of me. There was something specific that I wanted to do with the physicality that wasn’t just a guy in a suit throwing kicks and punches and saying cheesy lines.

[AG] I wanted it to be a “Spider-Boy” in the way that if we ground this film in reality, then what happens when spider DNA is running through your bloodstream? What happens to the teenage boy who is fidgety and nervous and can’t really keep still? He discovers that he can now have patience, like a spider.

[AG] There was another scene that they cut out which was awesome, which is me and when the Chinese thing goes in the trashcan when I’m on the computer, but I was doing something with all my limbs – doing different things – and they melded two shots and I thought it was really, really cool. I was moving a lamp with my left, I was typing with my right foot, I was eating Chinese, and I was reaching for something behind me, and it didn’t get in the movie. Maybe I’ll cut my own movie on bits that I like. *laughter*

So, yeah, that was really fun.

[AG] And there was a lot of great physical stuff that made it, like for instance the scene where I get all the food out of the fridge. The kind of spatial awareness that you have in this film is like, ‘Peter doesn’t move like that. Peter doesn’t glide like that before the spider bite.’ And the way he’s moving around the space, he’s kind of walking by the wall as opposed to walking straight through the room. He’s kind of got his back to the wall.

That kind of thing is fun to play with, but then of course the training is horrible. Like the physical training changed my body because I’m a lazy guy. I’m vain, but I’m not vain enough to care about the gym. And Armando Alarcon was my trainer and he’s a fantastic trainer and a terrible person. *laughter*

I have very confused feelings about Armando. Wherever he is, he knows that. He’s hiding from me because he will be murdered one day. No, but we had a great time. I was thankful for him. He kept me on an even keel all the way through, and that combined with the whole stunt team was a pretty awesome experience.

[Q] Did you have any issues with the costume that you were aware of at all, were you wearing it out in public, anything like that?

[AG] You know, I had many issues with that costume. *laughter*

But every actor who plays a superhero is like, ‘the costume sucked.’ Like, we should just get together to talk about it because it’s so inappropriate to talk about in public. It’s like – how dare we complain? We’re the ones that get to wear it. It’s the dream.

But, it was so terrible. No – Let me just put it this way: the fantasy of wearing those costumes is really awesome. We should just enjoy that.

Catch our whole Spider-Man series of interviews as the week goes on right here on SlashGear, and don’t forget to hit our Entertainment portal for more big-ticket film action through the future as well. Finally, don’t forget to check out The Amazing Spider-Man as it hits theaters July 3rd here in the USA!

Andrew Garfield speaks candidly on playing The Amazing Spider-Man is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Earlier this month we got the chance to shoot some questions at several of the stars and crew of The Amazing Spider-Man, one of these talks being with Emma Stone, who played comic legend Gwen Stacy in the film. She spoke about how she got to know the character Gwen only after having spoken about playing Mary Jane as well as how the big change in working on her first big-name effects film is really in the press tour action. Have a peek at this un-cut interview below.

[Question] What first drew you to this role, this famous role [of Gwen Stacy]?

[Emma Stone] At first I had met Laura Ziskin really early on, just about two weeks after it was announced, [but] for Mary Jane [rather than Gwen Stacy]. And I had always wanted to play Mary Jane. Mary Jane was so great. Then a couple of months went by and he called back and he said we’d like to to audition for the part of Gwen Stacy.’ I was like ‘erm, well, I don’t know who Gwen Stacy is.’ – Because I hadn’t read the comic books growing up. So I looked into the story of Gwen and I just fell in love with Gwen’s story because it is so incredibly epic and tragic and incredible in the way that it affects Peter moving forward with Mary Jane who was another character that I love, obviously, who was enormous. So I took the opportunity to audition, and met Andrew at the audition and got to act with him for the first time. “I hadn’t read the comic books growing up. So I looked into the story of Gwen and I just fell in love with Gwen’s story because it is so incredibly epic and tragic…”

He is one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with, I instantly knew how much I could learn from him and that really, really drew me. That challenge, rising to meet him every day was something really exciting and was a huge learning and growing experience for me, so it was a combination of things.

[Q] When you read the script and first realized that she’s not just the damsel in distress – she’s a big part of saving the day in this, were you more interested in doing the part when you realized you’d be a very strong woman?

[ES] I was cast before I read the script.

[Q] Well were you happy then when you did realize that, then –

[ES] Yeah, yeah, I read the sides, and Sargin had written the sides, who is a genius, wrote Ordinary People and Paper Moon so he’s not too shabby of a writer. And she had felt that way in sides – there was a heartbreaking scene where was an exchange with them that was really sweet, the dinner table scene, that was all kind of in there when I read the sides, so I instantly knew that it was something very different. Obviously he’s such a brilliant writer – I didn’t even know it was written by him, but I was like ‘god these are well written scenes.’ I really, really liked her from those sides.

Emma Stone in the photo-call during the NYC Press Junket earlier this month with other members of the cast and crew.

[Q] Whenever someone talks about Spider-Man you hear the words ‘Iconic’ and ‘Much-Beloved’, it seems like he’s a hero that so many people idolize, especially young boys – from a female perspective, what do you think it is about Spider-Man that makes him such a beloved super-hero?

[ES] Well he’s the only teenage super-hero, which is major, because a lot of the time when people start reading comic books, you are a kid or a teenager, so he’s the most identifiable, instantly, you can relate to him. Not to mention: he’s bullied, which is huge, for a girl or a boy, I think everyone has experienced something along those lines. And the fact that he is bitten by this spider, and this kind of wish fulfillment comes true – that he’s able to fight back to the bullies that he wasn’t able to before, is symbolism for kids. “The fact that he is bitten by this spider, and this kind of wish fulfillment comes true – that he’s able to fight back to the bullies that he wasn’t able to before, is symbolism for kids.”

They have so much power within them to… speak out, to stand up for themselves, to stay unique, and to stay true to who they are – as Peter does. He finds those elements within him with or without his powers. Which is what I think in this movie spurs Gwen and Peter’s first interaction which when he’s standing up for a kid that’s being bullied and takes that fall for a kid who’s being humiliated in front of a group of people. He has these heroic qualities long before he becomes an actual super-hero.

So yeah, I think that’s why it’s been so resonant and has been for 50 years and will continue to – even to having Barack Obama having him be his biggest inspiration in pop culture.

[Q] In addition to Spider-Man being so iconic, Gwen Stacy is pretty iconic herself. You said you went through and did some research on her and looked into her story. That was very apparent on-screen where everything down to her iconic thigh-highs, her look, and the feel of the character, seemed to come right off the comic book page. How much of that was your own preparation, and how much of it was stuff that you worked with Webb and the others with on?

[ES] Well costumes were done by Kym Barrett who’s fantastic – we worked together to, kind of, make sure Gwen felt like Gwen – that also made sense in the real world. And obviously I’m a lot less voluptuous than Gwen unfortunately, so, it didn’t really go to those heights. But you know, the signature headband, and the thigh-highs, and the coats; all of that was important to stay present, down to the makeup. Ve Neill was incredible and, hair and makeup we really tried to attain that as well, to keep her realistic and, you know, still keep her earthbound. I’m not, by no means a supermodel, or like an unattainable looking person, so that element of Gwen was a bit different from the comic books in some ways because she was such a beauty queen in the comics and I’m more… next door.

[ES] So that we worked on, and in terms of her as a character, it was just a hodge-podge of different versions of Gwen. I know she’s not very hippy-ish in this, and I don’t think she will ever be birthing Norman Osborn’s twins, I don’t think that’s going to be happening, or moving to London. So we tried to keep some of that moxie in there, and some of that self-assuredness, and she’s the daughter of a police chief, she’s the oldest daughter, so there’s that responsibility thing that kicks in when she thinks her father could die everyday. And I think it’s important that she took on that energy of being in charge, for her family, like she could be there should something happen. And then she unwittingly is drawn to a man who is in the same position. [She’s got an] Electra complex thing going on.

[Q] Your character Gwen is a scientist / physicist, I was wondering how familiar you are in that field, does that interest you at all?

[ES] That’s a great question because I was home-schooled and wasn’t really exposed to anything like that. My aunt and uncle are both scientists that worked for Merck and they had a hand in creating a cervical cancer vaccine – so they’re both incredibly intelligent, fantastic minds, you know. I’d always been fascinated by what they did, and I myself – this is going to sound a little bit strange – but I had really, really bad acne a couple years ago, really bad, and it was during a really stressful time period so I went online and tried to find what causes this kind of thing. The course of production and how things change in your body, and medical power – and they took us to these labs, this is the first time in my life that’d I’d been really angry about not going to college because I went to these labs and I, was, fascinated.

[ES] And I knew what they were talking about, we looked at bio-photonics and what happens when cortisol fires off in your brain, and – the same thing that causes acne can also cause diabetes and they’re proving that stress is a link and I was learning about regeneration and we were injecting axel models and we were seeing how they remove their arms and studying regeneration. We looked at stem cells that they’ve wired to beat like a human heart. And they’re finding ways to do this stuff and I was fascinated! I was like ‘what do I need to do to intern?’ ‘You need to be a college graduate.’ And I was like ‘but I know what you’re talking about! I can learn’ and it made me so upset, it’s like the Peace Core, you have to be a college graduate and I was like ‘f*ck!’

It sucks – ‘I can learn, I swear!’ And so now I’ve gone on my tangent about the word “smart” which has really been bothering me for the past year – I don’t like the word “smart” anymore because what does smart mean? Does it mean you’re able to learn or does it mean that you’ve graduated college? I didn’t graduate college: doesn’t mean I’m not smart.

So I really really, I got so interested in biology. One of the most exciting parts of this process was learning about medicine and regeneration and stem cells and all of it just expanded my mind in so many ways so now I’m gonna take biology class. And now what’s amazing is you can do it at home! …Doesn’t mean I’m not smart… “One of the most exciting parts of this process was learning about medicine and regeneration and stem cells.”

[Q] Dennis Leary was in here earlier and he said that at one point in filming, Marc Webb told him he’d have to step it up because you and Andrew were so good. A lot of people have been raving about your improv skills and I was just wondering what some of the improv moments were in this film? And also – do you think you could convince Andrew to do Saturday Night Live?

[ES] Pfff, you’re telling me – yeah, I can’t convince Ryan Gosling but I’m working on Andrew. I guess some of my favorite improv moments were the hallway scene… which was written, but there were a lot of moments that we got to add in the scene where we’re like asking each other out, but not.

[ES] And then there was that awful, that was just such a hammy bit, they let me go off the cuff to keep Dennis out of my room. So I, of course, when you give me an inch, it’s not good. So I was like ‘what is the one thing that would keep a dad out of his teenage daughter’s room’ – anything related to that. Anything related to hormones. I knew in an instant, from my own life experiences that you can just be like ‘sorry, its just that i…’ ‘OK alright, I’ll let you go!’ Dad’s don’t want to talk about that.

[Q] One of the iconic lines and great themes of Spider-Man is ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. Now that you’ve won the Trailblazer award, is that something you can relate to in your personal life? Responsibility with your stardom?

[ES] I don’t in any way, shape, or form think that I’m any type of a role model, or anything like that, but for whatever reason, when you’re put into a public place, you have to figure out what that purpose is in your life, why that may have happened, or what you can possibly do with something like that. And I’m not political, and I’m not going to talk about those kinds of things, and I know that that’s never going to be my job as an actor to be championing any specific cause, except for originality. That’s the one thing that I identify with as maybe my responsibility, per-say.

And I know it’s not my responsibility and I know all of that, but there’s something that came with – getting a Revlon contract, actually, and I thought – why in the world would I be approached for a beauty campaign? Because I’d always been the funny girl. And that’s not to put myself down, that was just always the way that my brain worked.

And I thought about Diane Keaton for L’Oreal and Ellen Degeneres for Cover Girl and how sometimes real beauty gets to be celebrated. Like what’s inside is what counts, and so you can still feel beautiful and you can still put makeup on but because it makes you feel good, and not for anybody else. And that was something that I was like ‘if I had an opportunity to reach people or reach young girls in a way that makes them feel like what they are is enough,’ and what those parts of their personality that set them apart and make them original, if they feel good about that, in any way, if that affects one person, then that’s a game changer. That’s something that I’m proud to be helpful in any way in – of looking real, or being a real person.

Obviously I have a stylist, that puts me in clothes like this, and I have a hair and makeup artist that’s doing things like that – so there’s all of that going on too, and I’m not eloquent right now, at all, but yeah I do feel a slight, not responsibility, but a privilege, to be able to speak to younger girls and hopefully make them feel like it’s ok to be themselves.

[Q] Why do you feel that Peter was attracted to Gwen other than, you know, she’s a beautiful blond with courage and other qualities – what’s that all about?

[ES] I think that elements of Gwen and Gwen’s family line are things that Peter didn’t necessarily have. Just a sense of stability – I know Aunt May and Uncle Ben are a very stable environment for him, but Peter has abandonment issues, I mean he was left when he was 5, so there’s something where he doesn’t feel he can be totally honest with Aunt May and Uncle Ben because they never stay on the subject, you see that when Peter comes in and Uncle Ben says ‘sorry we don’t talk about this.’ He doesn’t feel comfortable expressing the pain to them, and he sees someone steady in Gwen and someone who can understand what it’s like to lose a father on a daily basis – as you see in that bedroom scene where she doesn’t know if he’s gonna come home every day, so she feels that sense of abandonment as well and I think they find an incredible – they’re so different – but they also relate on love of learning, and things like that and I think he can see something in Gwen that becomes a confidant that he can trust.“I know Aunt May and Uncle Ben are a very stable environment for him, but Peter has abandonment issues.”

[Q] Piggybacking off of that question – we’ve seen you playing a highschooler in love before, in Easy A and Superbad, but this story felt different, it felt young, it felt goofy, it felt sweet – how did you approach this love story and what traits from love people in love inspired you to put into this movie?

[ES] Well in Superbad and Easy A – in any movie that I’ve done, there hasn’t been a love story like this, I mean Superbad with Seth, that’s kind of a totally different thing that’s like ‘oh he’s cute’ and in Easy A it’s like ‘oh Woodchuck Todd, he’s cute’ but they’re focused on their own story, really, in most of the movies that I’ve been a part of. This kind of swept me off my feet because she truly is really in love with him. And I think the approach was – I wanted again to feel that experience of “first love” before you know what it feels like to get your heart completely shattered, or that “life or death” love where you’re like ‘I KNOW WHAT LOVE IS’ – you know that, except where in the circumstances where it actually is life or death.

So I wanted to feel that again, I wanted to unlearn and go from the very beginning of where ‘oh my god there’s an attraction to another human being in a way that I’ve never felt that before’, that uncomfortable *ugch*, I wanted to feel that again. So it was a matter of unlearning, of really becoming 17 again and letting yourself be 17 in this moment, it’s fun! You guys should try it! It’s pretty cool! It’s pretty cool to feel that way.

[Q] How would you describe the difference between working on a film like Easy A where there’s no visual effects whatsoever and moving up to this where it’s, first, a completely different thing where it’s a blockbuster film, but it’s also a major effects film? Especially in regards to 3D?

[ES] My character wasn’t as involved in the special effects – my storyline was really very human, so it actually didn’t feel all that different other than the days where I had to swing – which was fun. Or the days on a bluescreen, which when you’re acting with another person, you can be in a cardboard box, it just tests your imagination. But in terms of shooting in 3D the only big difference was, the only thing different was that it takes a little bit longer because you need two cameras, and the camera is huge and reflective. “It’s nice to know that even when you’re shooting a movie like this that you approach the character the same way.”

So it’s like acting with a mirror right next to you, which is very bizarre. If you’ve ever had a conversation with a mirror right next to you, you keep catching yourself and it’s just awful. But then you get used to it, and it’s a little bit better. But it’s nice to know that even when you’re shooting a movie like this that you approach the character the same way, and you’re trying to tell the… tell the truth, all the time, about who that person is and what they’re feeling. So it’s comforting that under any circumstance no matter what the budget that that remains the same.

THIS feels different. The PRESS feels different. This is where it really strikes you that you’re in Spider-Man.

[Q] In regards to the first trilogy and MJ, was there any pressure for you to make Gwen’s first kiss as memorable as it was with MJ in the first film? That became a very iconic moment in the film.

[ES] I know, and obviously there’s no comparison there. Of course I thought about it, because… I just did, I thought about the kiss but I, you know, just trusted them to write it, so it was just what they wrote, we just kind of went with what they wrote.

[Q] Did they purposefully make that a little nod to Indiana Jones?

[ES] I think it’s cool because Peter kind of reminds me a little bit of that mischievous Indiana Jones character, but yeah, that’s a little, a little tango move.

[Q] Marc said earlier that he cast the chemistry between Andrew and you, and you said earlier that Andrew is one of the best actors that you’ve ever worked with – how would you explain the chemistry between the two of you?

[ES] Can one explain chemistry?

[Q] I knew you were going to say that for some reason.

[ES] It’s hard because with any person in life that I’ve had chemistry with I don’t know exactly what it is, and that’s why they do chemistry tests for movies. Because even if they’re not playing a love interest, even if they’re playing parents or best friends, sometimes it either just clicks or it just doesn’t, it doesn’t matter how good the actors might be. So it really isn’t definable, it really is just what they call it. It’s something else entirely, it’s just some soul thing, I don’t know. I don’t know what it is.

[Q] Could you tell us what Marc Webb brought to this film as he wasn’t the obvious choice given his background.

[ES] I think that Marc, clearly, I mean from 500 Days of Summer, you can tell that Marc cares about love, and he cares about humanity, and that was incredibly important for this movie. He prioritized the relationships just as much as the action. And I know he had a million voices in his ear – there’s a lot of opinions all the time, and he would come in on Sundays to work on the scenes with us, and break them down and build them all the way back up until we got the same scene that was written on the page but we had analyzed it to death. He was incredibly kind and willing to work on that relationship, so from my experience, I was very grateful that he came from that background.

[Q] I was wondering if they rigged you up for that big swing or if most of that was CGI?

[ES] Which?

[Q] When he took you on, kind of that…

[ES] Oh yeah yeah yeah! Yeah, we swung. We were swingin’.

[Q] Are you afraid of heights or were you..

[ES] No, it was awesome, I really loved it, yeah. Thankfully I’m not afraid of heights, it would have been horrific, it would have been awful actually because you’re so out of control. But no, I loved it – other than the bruising – I loved it. Artists do bruise, you guys. Yikes.

Don’t forget to catch The Amazing Spider-Man starting July 3rd in the USA!

The Amazing Spider-Man: Emma Stone talks up her first big-budget effects film is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

“We’re missing a nut,” says a bemused Matt Hershenson, former Danger founder and now Google’s director of hardware for Android, pointing at a vacant spot on an exploded photo of the Nexus Q. Its parts are strewn out across a white background, perfectly arranged in a linear pattern that starkly contrasts with the spherical nature of the thing. “Wow, you’re right,” agrees Joe Britt, engineering director at Google and another former Danger founder. “It’s like the illuminators, you know, the monks who used to draw up the codexes.” Hershenson picks up the reference without missing a beat: “Everybody needs to make at least one mistake. Nothing can be perfect.”

That goes against everything else we’ve been learning from the pair, who spend 45 minutes walking us through every detail of what went into the development of the new Nexus Q. They worked hand-in-hand with engineers and designers and materials experts, ensuring everything from the bearings to the LEDs were, well, perfect. But there is one thing, something larger, that many have said is a crucial flaw in this illuminated device: pricing. Will people pay $299 for a high-concept, low-functionality social media streamer? Join us after the break for how the Q came to be, and why Britt and Hershenson think it will be a success.

Continue reading Cracking the Nexus Q, Google’s 25-watt amplified obsession

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Cracking the Nexus Q, Google’s 25-watt amplified obsession originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What you see here is arguably be the coolest thing on display at Google I/O 2012 — an 8-foot, 300-pound Nexus Q replica (complete with LED ring visualizer) mounted on a robot arm. This interactive installation called Kinetisphere was designed and fabricated by San Francisco-based Bot & Dolly and is controlled by three stations each consisting of — wait for it — a Nexus Q device and a Nexus 7 tablet. How meta is that? One station controls the height of the sphere, another its angle, and a third lets you pick the pattern displayed on the LED ring. Of course, it’s all carefully synchronized to music for maximum effect.

We spent a few minutes talking with Jeff Linnell of Bot & Dolly about what went into the making of Kinetisphere. As it turns out, there’s a lot more to the installation than a Kuka industrial robot, fiberglass, plywood and steel railing. In addition to using the Nexus Q and Nexus 7, the company combined its expertise in motion control and automation with Google’s Android ADK 2012, Autodesk‘s Maya and even Linux. Take a look at our gallery below then hit the break for our video interview and a lovely behind-the-scenes clip.

Continue reading Visualized: Kinetisphere takes Nexus Q into another dimension at Google I/O 2012 (video)

Visualized: Kinetisphere takes Nexus Q into another dimension at Google I/O 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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