After embodying the most dramatic ‘Spiderman’ and being nominated for an Oscar, the Briton has emerged as one of the most versatile and gifted actors of his generation. He has just released ‘By command of heaven’ (Disney +).
Andrew Garfield premieres thriller, ‘Heavenly Mandate’ (Disney+, May 20), in which he masterfully embodies, in seven installments, a Mormon police officer who faces a murder within his own congregation, with all that it entails for his faith. He receives us by video call from Los Angeles, friendly and thoughtful, somewhat more serious than what he has accustomed us to, dressed in that 70’s aesthetic that goes so well with his hippie heart. About to turn 40 and already filming with Luca Guadagnino (‘Brideshead Revisited’), he has emerged as one of the best performers of his promotion: adventures, dramas, musicals, biopics… everything about him amuses us, surprises us , hooks us.
It sounds like you’re doing a master’s degree in religion – your role in Scorsese’s ‘Silence’, ‘Angels in America’, evangelist Jim Bakker and now Mormon cop Jeb Pyre – how important is that in your life?
Of course! It was also a theme in ‘Hasta el último hombre’ and ‘¡Tick tick…Boom!’ -for which he was nominated for an Oscar-, because Jonathan Larson was something of a devotee of the religion of the church of the theater. Religion is everywhere, there are few topics more important than this, life and death. I’ve always kind of had a healthy dance with her, I don’t think I can settle on one for the rest of my life. But spirituality is something that fascinates me, exploring further… I feel like an awareness that we can feel and see and touch and it’s important in terms of how we live our lives. Being able to explore that in my work is a privilege, because it helps me in my own life. I’m not exaggerating. I feel that the material and the spiritual are in a kind of melting pot where we can express our consciousness.
Andrew Garfield stars in ‘Heavenly Mandate’ (Disney +). | disneyplus.com
Did you already know the story from Jon Krakauer’s book?
I love Krakauer and his writing. I read ‘Heaven Commanded’ when it first came out 10 years ago, and I loved everything from the story of the beginning of the Mormon religion to this horrible murder, which he breaks down and philosophizes about, but also shows us objectively and connects it with the fundamentalism of this faith. The issues are what really interest me, and Dustin Lance Black, the director of the series (Oscar for ‘Milk’, 2008) solved it by focusing on the nature of real crime and unraveling his own faith, because he was a Mormon. In fact, he introduced me to a lot of amazing people in that community, there’s a kind of cultural goodness there, and obviously issues, that this series really sheds. It was fascinating to study.
Is there some kind of lesson in this series?
There is hope in it: you will witness how Brenda Lafferty chooses truth over power, and I think that is very brave. My character is also a great symbol of the search for truth over personal gain, with the possibility of losing everything she holds dear to serve something greater. There’s a lot of integrity in that. It was David Foster Wallace who said ‘Try to choose something greater than yourself to serve. Otherwise, you will end up serving something useless.’
Looking at your latest works -and except for ‘Spiderman: No way Home’-, you seem to run away from commercial successes, is it something studied?
I don’t know if it’s deliberate, and I don’t think it’s necessarily true. I’ve done some big commercial movies… no one is free from temptation. It’s more about what attracts me, I don’t really put it on a scale. It’s more like: do I think it’s a story worth telling? Am I the right person to help tell it? And if I’m not, I walk away, but if I am, I dive. But I do not take into account the budget, nor the medium. It’s more about the history, about the people, I always ask myself: is this how I want to spend my time, my life?
Andrew Garfield and Benedict Cumberbatch, Spiderman and Doctor Strange, two Marvel superheroes. | Emma McIntyre / GETTY
Of course, it will not be on social networks, from which you have disappeared…
We live in an incredibly banal time where only the moment is celebrated, being famous… Art, cinema, are there to change that and try to reach something deeper. Yes, it’s a strange and tragic time… And yes, I try to focus on what I can control. And that has to do only with my work.
You are a role model for thousands of fans, especially for having been one of the ‘Spiderman’ in history…
I always loved superhero comics. I grew up with them and Spiderman meant a lot to me. It is a myth. And it’s been such an honor to embody him and now to be able to tie up some loose ends for the Peter that he was playing. I love that character: that’s why I improvised my scene with Tom Holland and Tobey Maguire. He was a fan simply telling them that he loved them. It was so true that they left him.
Andrew Garfield: “I run away from fame, because I can only control my work”