Speaking to ComingSoon, Chronicle star Dane DeHaan compared the role of angry outcast of an abusive father to that of the emotionally troubled Harry Osborn in Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man 2, a man with some serious father issues of his own.
“First of all, Chronicle was about a kid with an abusive father,” said DeHaan. “Place Beyond The Pines is about a kid who doesn’t know who his father is, and they’re very different relationships. Obviously with Harry Osborn, the privilege of it is another dynamic.
“The relationship Harry has with Norman is a different dynamic. Every son has a relationship with their father, whether that father is there or not, and that always has an effect on the person whether they admit it or not. There’s a lot of different ways those relationships are complicated.”
DeHaan dismissed any comparisons or pressure inherited from James Franco’s take on the role in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, saying, “I dunno, I mean Franco did his thing, I’ll do my thing.”
Nor is he particularly drawn on the comics, adding, “I don’t think you have to be a fan of something to do the job.
“I think ultimately it’s important that I’m familiar with past takes on the Osborn story, more for like common, know-it-all ’cause it’s stuff I should know. My job as an actor is the same job, whether it’s a comic book movie or a gritty Derek Cianfrance drama, or a Chronicle, or a Lawless, which is to take a character and, for lack of better word, to breathe life into it. I’m a fan of acting!”
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is due 2 May 2014, while The Amazing Spider-Man is out now. Order it now on DVD for £10 and Blu-ray for £14.99 from Amazon.co.uk. Thwip thwip.
