After going radio silent on his appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Andrew Garfield finally had the opportunity to open up on his experience joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021. Alongside his fellow Spider-Men in Tom Holland and Tobey Maguire in a fight against villains like Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin and Jamie Foxx's Electro, Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man shone in this Multiversal adventure.
Even for only playing a supporting role in No Way Home, Garfield remained at the center of reports and rumors since spring 2021 thanks to spending so much time denying his inclusion in the film. From addressing Holland's own experience with spoilers to sharing how he worked with Daredevil star Charlie Cox to avoid spoilers leaking, the Academy Award-nominee is always game to chat about the MCU threequel.
Part of Garfield's time talking about No Way Home has been spent heaping praise upon his Marvel co-stars, even going as far as giving Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige props before his MCU debut.
Most recently, that praise moved over to an actor he'd never worked with on a Marvel project before, and it's clear that he was impressed.
Andrew Garfield Lauds Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin
A new featurette promoting Spider-Man: No Way Home featured actor Andrew Garfield praising Green Goblin star Willem Dafoe for his performance in the Marvel Studios threequel.
Garfield called Dafoe "fearless" with his craft in Spider-Man: No Way Home and lauded the veteran movie star for his ability to be "totally free" with his performances on set:
"Willem is just fearless, and Willem doesn’t give a flying whatever. ‘I’m doing this.’ He’s just like, so un-self-conscious as an actor, just totally free, and that’s the dream."
Electro star Jamie Foxx added to that praise for Dafoe, even giving a playful imitation of one of his lines from the threequel. He admitted to simply sitting back and watching Dafoe work at times, sharing his feelings about Dafoe's cackle and delivery while using some NSFW language in his compliments:
"Norman Osborn, Green Goblin is just, I mean, to see him work, when we’re on the set, and ‘Gods don’t choose, we take!’ And, oh shit, and that cackle, I was like ‘Oh!’ That’s real, you know, I forgot I was in the movie, I’m sitting there with my popcorn like ‘This motherf***er’s good!’"
Leading actor Tom Holland called it "terrifying" to see Dafoe slip into his role so seamlessly, taking Holland back to his childhood when he grew up with Spider-Man stories:
"It’s one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had in my life. When he becomes the Goblin, he is terrifying. In the rehearsal, he starts doing the laugh and he’s saying all this different stuff about how he hates Peter Parker, and we’re doing this fight scene, and I just became, like, a five-year-old kid again watching him in the theater."
The full featurette can be watched below:
Dafoe Making His Mark on the MCU
Willem Dafoe made his mark on Spider-Man: No Way Home in more than one way, setting the record for the longest superhero movie career simply by showing up in this MCU threequel. But he was far from done after arriving on set and putting on his costume for the first time in nearly two decades.
Dafoe delivered a performance that rivaled the best in any MCU movie to date, with reports teasing that he would be involved in some brutal action before No Way Home was released. That villainous performance fully came through, with behind-the-scenes videos already showing just how terrifying Dafoe was when he got into character.
Even though Garfield didn't get much screen time with Dafoe, he saw how much passion the veteran had for the role as Dafoe gave his best effort to bring an even scarier Goblin in his second full movie. Holland and Foxx echoed those same sentiments, which is particularly special considering that none of them had worked with Dafoe on a Spidey movie before.
Being No Way Home's primary antagonist, Dafoe got plenty of time in the spotlight as he ditched the Green Goblin mask and had the chance to show off his full range for the villain. The marketing campaign for the threequel's home release has showcased his work in the role, and it's clear that he impressed Garfield and everybody else who saw him in action.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now available for purchase via digital media and Blu-ray.
