Andrew Garfield was told he wasn't handsome enough for Narnia role

It goes without saying that movie star Andrew Garfield has become a hugely popular figure in Hollywood.

To star in three of The Amazing Spider-Man film series, you've got to be doing something right.

However, in order to get to the top, quite often you have to start at the bottom, and this was certainly the case for the British actor.

The Tick Tick... Boom! star revealed that he was 'desperate' for a role in as Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia, however, things didn't exactly go as planned.

"I remember I was so desperate. I auditioned for Prince Caspian in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and I thought, 'This could be it, this could be it'," Garfield told Entertainment Tonight.

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"And that handsome, brilliant actor Ben Barnes ended up getting the role. I think it was down to me and him, and I remember I was obsessed."

When he spoke to his agent about the decision, she said that he wasn't the right fit.

"Why not me? She eventually just broke under my incessant nagging and she was, like, 'It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew'.

"Ben Barnes is a very handsome, talented man, so in retrospect, I’m not unhappy with the decision and I think he did a beautiful job."

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But it doesn't seem to have held him back too much, with Garfield enjoying plenty of success in recent years.

He even reprised his role as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man in the smash hit No Way Home.

And it was revealed recently that he didn't think twice about signing up when he was offered the job.

By December 2020, both Garfield and Tobey Maguire were secretly signed on to the project and were yet to receive scripts, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Speaking about the duo, screenwriter Erik Sommers said: "They had thoughts, and it was really interesting and helpful to see their thoughts.

"No one knows the character as well as — or gives as much thought to the character — as someone who has to then embody it and sell it. … It definitely shaped what we did."

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Chris McKenna, another screenwriter, added: "They had great ideas that really elevated everything we were going for and added layers and an arc and we really actually started honing into the idea that these two guys were really helping Tom’s Peter on his journey to becoming who he ends up becoming.

"There’s a crucial, moral moment that they help him get through in the climax of the movie.

"So much of that was brought by Tobey and Andrew’s ideas and shaping of what they thought their characters could bring to this story."