Andrew Garfield Reveals 'The Facts' About Batkid's Oscars Snub
Spider-Man and Batkid didn't appear onstage together at the Academy Awards, so they spent a day at Disneyland instead.
Josh Wigler roundhoward 03/07/2014
Batkid, the superhero phenomenon better known in his daily life as five-year-old cancer survivor Miles Scott, was set to turn the Oscars stage into his very own Gotham City — but on the evening of the Academy Awards, those plans changed.
Instead, "Captain America" actor Chris Evans was called onstage to present a series of movie clips meant to honor superheroes. Originally, "Spider-Man" star Andrew Garfield was supposed to present the clips, ending the segment by bringing Batkid on stage and honoring him as an official superhero.
Rumors began circulating that it was Garfield's decision to withdraw from the segment, with Page Six reporting that "in the middle of the dress rehearsal, Garfield decided he didn't like his lines." The report further states that Garfield rewrote the script, and when it was deemed "not appropriate" by producers, "Garfield had a tantrum. He stormed off. Miles and his family, who were at the rehearsal, were devastated."
Now, Garfield's own representatives have spoken out about the supposed snub, to dispute those claims and make it known that Batkid and Spider-Man are very much on speaking terms.
"Here are the facts," Garfield's rep Rupert Fowler told Us Weekly. "In full collaboration with the Academy and the show writer, Andrew prepared a segment for the Oscars to honor Miles Scott as the true hero that he is. At some point overnight on Saturday/Sunday morning, it was decided by those running the show that the segment didn't work in the ceremony."
"They decided to pull it - Andrew and Miles were equally upset," he continued. "The producers arranged for Miles and his family to visit Disneyland on Monday and Andrew drove down to visit them and to bring Miles a personal gift. Andrew did the right thing for Batkid and anyone saying otherwise is flat out lying."
In fairness to Garfield, the Academy's own official statement on the matter falls in line with the "Spider-Man" actor's version of events: "Due to the nature of a live show, hard decisions sometimes must be made which require the Academy to cut segments due to the logistics of production. Andrew Garfield understood that his segment had to be omitted, and he drove to Disneyland on Monday to spend time with 5-year-old Miles Scott (Batkid) and his family."