(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Andrew Garfield once told a man his mother had died to prevent being mugged.

The actor admits he was often the target of thieves when he was growing up. The 28-year-old British star has recalled lying to a mugger to make him feel guilty as he attempted to steal his wallet.

"When I was in London, going to my girlfriend's, this guy caught me and told me to empty my pockets, and I was so desperate that I lied and said, Listen, I've just come from my mother's funeral!'" Andrew told UK magazine GQ. "It was an awful thing to say, but it worked, and it made him see me, and he sat on the steps with me for ten minutes instead, comforting me."

Andrew had a tough time at school and was bullied. The star closely identified with Peter Parker and his alter-ego Spider-Man and was thrilled to land the title role in the upcoming movie.

"I'm not saying that I was suicidal or anything like that what I basically meant was. [Spider-Man] was a symbol of what got me through tough times in terms of being a skinny kid," he added. "I was very confused when I first went to school, and there was a kid who was just mean and I just didn't understand it, and right into my teenage years, where I would be mugged on the street, or when I was 17 or 18 and I was in drama school, and I wouldn't be able to do anything because there'd be three or four of them and they'd take my wallet, and I'd come home feeling so disempowered and so angry!" (C) Cover Media