'Spider-Man: No Way Home' stars weighed in on how to bring their characters back into the movie

• Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
• Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprise their previous Spider-Man roles in the new film.

When Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprised their Spider-Men roles in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" they weighed in on how much audiences should know about what their iterations of Peter Parker have been up to since fans last saw them on screen.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "No Way Home" screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers said Garfield was game to dig into his character's trauma after the death of his high school sweetheart, Gwen Stacy, at the end of 2014's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

Maguire, however, thought less is more when it came to what his character has been up to since 2007's "Spider-Man 3."

"Tobey wanted to be very minimal about how much you know. Very, very minimal," McKenna told THR.

"Andrew really loved the idea of he's still tortured over what happened in 'Amazing Spider-Man 2' and where that left him, and how they could bring that to Tom. "We can empathize with you. We do know what you are going through. If anyone in the world knows what you're going through, it's us,'" he added.

Garfield's return performance as his "TASM" version of Peter Parker is one of the film's highlights. Much of that is because the film evolves his character from a cocky teen in his solo movies to a relatable and sympathetic hero by putting a spotlight on the character's well-being.

Following the events of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," Garfield's Spidey isn't in the best place mentally when we meet him.

"The last time you saw Andrew Garfield, it was the death of Gwen, and that must have sent him down a dark spiral, maybe he never got out of. We don't know, because there wasn't a third movie that we saw. Where did he go? Maybe a really dark place," McKenna told THR. "We wanted to be true to the characters in those movies. Really having conversations about specifying where they are, without giving away too much."

When we catch up with Garfield's Peter in "No Way Home," he tells the two other Spider-Men that Gwen's death caused him to become rageful and bitter, something he doesn't wish upon Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

It's evident that Garfield's Spidey appears to be lonely, fighting a battle with depression and low confidence, hinted at through a series of self-deprecating jokes. After the film's release, fans shared an outpouring of love for his take on the character, with many asking for him to have a shot at another solo "Spider-Man" movie.

"Andrew really leaned into the lonely, middle brother," McKenna told THR. "You have the elder brother, Tobey, who is the wise one. The middle sibling thing, he feels like he's not getting the attention of the other two. It works so great for that character."

"He's obviously hurting. I think he has so many great flourishes," MeKenna added about Garfield. "So does Tobey. I think that dynamic of brothers, that's why it's so great when Andrew says, 'God, I always wanted to have brothers.' While simplistic, it is a great paradigm for the three of them coming together and you want it to feel like, 'Oh, it's not just doppelgangers.' They are different. They are not the same person. They are born of the same experience and the same spider-bite. They are like brothers."

You can read the full interview with the screenwriters at THR here.