Kate Whiting from PA chatted to Andrew Garfield about taking up the Spider-Man mantle from Tobey Maguire.

In a revealing interview, the British actor said putting on the iconic red and blue latex of Spider-Man was the fulfilment of a boyhood ambition.

“It was an incredibly profound moment,” the 28-year-old said. “It was the first costume I ever wore as a three-year-old, so it’s always meant so much to me. When I first put on the suit, I was emotionally overwhelmed because it was something I’d always fantasised about.”

Talking about taking over a role only recently vacated by Tobey Maguire, Garfield was philosophical about the pressure he’s under.

“I am playing the same character Tobey played but that’s the way it goes. There will be comparisons and there’s no way to control that. I have to let that go.

“But I respect what he did immensely, and when I was 19 I watched that first Spider-Man and it reminded me how much that character always meant to me and reignited my passion for it.

“So it’s an honour to step into the suit after him, and I’m excited to then pass it on to the next person, you know?”

Like the first Maguire film which was directed by Sam Raimi, The Amazing Spider-Man is an origins tale, explaining how Peter Parker becomes the superhero, but that’s where the similarities end.

The love interest in the film is not Mary Jane, but Peter’s school crush Gwen Stacy, and the villain is The Lizard, rather than the Green Goblin.

In fact Garfield fell for his co-star Emma Stone (who plays Gwen Stacy) on set.

He admits it was vital that their characters had good on-screen chemistry.

“All the dynamics are based in love,” he said. “I think [what's] important is that the dynamic between Peter and Gwen is based in love and based in them fulfilling something in the other.”

To get into role, he spent hours reading Spider-Man comics, watching the movies and trying to “inundate” himself with the qualities of the character.

“But actually, the most useful thing was going back to my very personal connection to it. I feel a very, very deep connection and always have to Peter Parker,” Garfield concludes.

“And I think the three-year-old inside of me was the best kind of compass I could have.”