Andrew Garfield stands by belief that Spider-Man could be gay

Actor Andrew Garfield is standing by a suggestion he first floated more than a decade ago: that a future Spider-Man doesn’t have to be straight.

Mr. Garfield made the comments in a Monday interview with Entertainment Weekly, while promoting his new historical drama, “The Uprising.” The conversation was meant to center on the film, but his years-old remarks about Spider-Man’s sexuality took over, Daily Caller reported.

The actor first raised the idea in a 2013 interview with the same outlet while promoting “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” asking, “Why can’t he be gay? Why can’t he be into boys?”

Asked about those remarks now, Mr. Garfield said his stance has not wavered. He described the 2013 comments as “an exercise in rebellion” he felt passionate about, and argued that Spider-Man’s mask is central to the character’s universal appeal because it obscures identifying traits, NME reported — telling Entertainment Weekly that “you don’t see skin color, you don’t see gender, you don’t see sexuality; anyone can project themselves into that suit.”

Mr. Garfield played Peter Parker in “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) and its 2014 sequel before Tom Holland took over the role. He briefly reprised the part in 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Every live-action Spider-Man to date, including Mr. Garfield’s, has been portrayed as straight.