Jamie bell recently sat down for an interview with VULTURE. For the most part the interview was about anything and everything concerning his latest gig in Kevin Macdonald's film
The Eagle. He also discussed recently shooting
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn with Spielberg. Near the end of the interview however, VULTURE not only asks him about past rumors that he was indeed up for the part of Peter Parker in Marc Webb's new
Spider-Man film but also about the current trend of British actors playing comic book heroes on screen.
It was rumored for a while that you were in contention for the title role in Marc Webb's Spider-Man. How far did that go?
Really far. I screen-tested and everything.
Did you get to wear the suit?
No, they didn't do that in the screen test. We did a bunch of scenes with Marc, and I was one of many people who did it. It was a great experience, a great opportunity.
There were several Brits up for that role, and it went to the British actor Andrew Garfield, as did Superman just recently, to Henry Cavill. What is it about young British men that makes them suddenly a perfect fit for these American superheroes?
You know, I'm not too sure, actually. The truth is, if you're [Sony chief] Amy Pascal, I think you just go, "God, Andrew's a great actor." That was a no-brainer, and I think it was a really great piece of casting, to be honest. Marc was a great director in the small time I got to work with him, so I think it'll be fantastic. I don't know much about ... is it Henry?
Henry Cavill, yeah.
No, I don't know much about him, but I don't know. They're obviously good actors.
Even the short list for the female lead in Superman is mostly Brits.
Is that right? We're gonna start upsetting people soon. [Laughs.] The Screen Actors Guild is gonna be like, "No Brits! Stop them!"
Hawksblueyes: Personally, I think Garfield is the best thing about the reboot but Bell would have been an interesting choice.