The 25 year old actor that won acclaim as an eleven year old boy that has a deep desire to dance in
Billy Elliott is hitting the promotional circuit for
Tintin, and of course there will be a slew of questions about Spider-Man. The role that he lost out on to fellow Brit Andrew Garfield (
The Social Network).
Where as Andrew was brought to tears at the San Diego Comic Con when talking about Peter Parker, the opposite approach is being taken by Jamie. I'm sure Jamie is still wincing about the rejection, but to sound as though he had no interest in playing the character is disturbing. Last I checked Jamie's phone isn't exactly ringing off the hook with job offers. His biggest roles in recent years is a supporting role in the forgettable
Jumper and voicing
Tintin.
JAMIE BELL - THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
Excerpt from this month's GQ
Having screen-tested for Spider-man, what superhero role would you like to have a crack at next?
Considering I failed at the first one, I don't know. I've never felt particularly connected to Peter Parker, [so] I felt like they made the right decision. I actually can't wait to see the movie - I think it's going to be great. My favourite superhero is obviously Batman because he's the sexiest. But I can't imagine myself as Batman...
Excerpt from The Telegraph
Auditioning for Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man:
“I never really sympathised with Peter Parker. Well, no, I definitely sympathise with him. But I’ve just never seen myself as Peter Parker. I’ve always been more of a Batman person.
“But, you know, it is the biggest franchise in Hollywood for a young male actor. When you’ve got Sony [the Spider-Man studio] saying, ‘We really want you to come and screen test,’ of course you’re gonna do it — it’s a very flattering position to be in. Especially when you consider the other people that are also doing it.”
Attending Spidey school with Andrew Garfield:
“Then we were at this dinner — and this was right before [the casting] got announced — and a salt shaker fell off the table. And Andrew and I both instinctively went like this” — Bell shoots out his arm in a web-slinging, catch-a-falling-child move — “and there was a look in both our eyes: ‘We’ve been to Spidey school too long…’”
Thoughts on Andrew getting the part:
“I think they made a great decision. He’s a really great actor. And I’m really excited about the movie.”
The rejection process:
Marc sent me a very nice email and was really thankful for all the work I’d done. But I think it’s just simple — when the studio heads and producers and directors sit down, they see something and go, ‘That’s the version of the movie we want to make.’ They didn’t want to make my version — totally fine. I have no issue with that. You can’t really be analytical of the decision-making process. You just can’t. You have to move on.”
JAMIE BELL - TINTIN
Developing the voice of Tintin
“Steven said he loved my own voice, which is kind of a wise voice but wasn’t soft around the edges, and still had a bit of bite to it. So he wanted to lose as much as [possible from] my regional sound and just maintain the energetic yet wise and still not too… I don’t know… divisive on a socio-economic scale!”
“I was just pleased that he didn’t say, ‘So he’s gonna speak with an American accent,’ ’cause if they’d have done that, that would have been really hard to commit to. That would have been really absurd. And I had always wanted to drop in merde or something when he gets something wrong. But Tintin is the beacon of excellence, so he doesn’t really swear.”