It has been a great year for Andrew Garfield at the movies. His performances in both Hacksaw Ridge and Silence have been appreciated, earning him an Oscar nod for the former. Excerpts from an email interview:
Congratulations on the Oscar nomination for Hacksaw Ridge . Were you expecting this?
Thank you. Every actor, even before becoming one, dreams and fantasises about winning an Oscar. The best thing that can happen is to have someone affected by the work you’re doing. I feel very deeply reassured that I’m on the trajectory that I’m supposed to be on. There are a lot of doubts in my mind, but the Academy jury make me think otherwise now, and I am thankful and very, very grateful.
Do you feel disappointed that Silence hasn’t been received well, given it has been the passion project of Scorsese for many years?
Disappointed, but in a sense that I think it is a masterpiece. I am not worried about the impact of the film, because for me, Silence is a film which will have a long-term impact on people. It is one of those films that will wheedle into the consciousness of people and change them in a deep way, unlike maybe films that get recognised immediately but are less impactful in the long run. And it’s a Martin Scorsese film. It’s Martin Scorsese, we are talking about, and no one can take that away from him. Enough said.
When Martin Scorsese approached you for the film, was it an immediate ‘yes’ or did you have your reservations?
About working with Marty, I would say that he wants you at your most unknown. He wants you at your most spontaneous. Your most daring and far reaching beyond what you know of yourself as a person and as an actor. So that was a gift to me. Scorsese is the high priest of cinema and he’s made something that’s transcended conversations; he’s telling a story that is so deeply profound and so thought-provoking that it stays with you long after.
If you have to choose your best/favourite performance among the many characters you have played, which would it be?
I cannot choose, but if you ask me what character I relate to most, then I would say Dennis Nash from 99 Homes . I passionately related to 99 Homes ’ theme of powerlessness and the plight of families who have lost everything. I served as a co-producer on that one too.
Who was your idol growing up?
I was inspired by quite a few actors and the films that they did. Watching Michael J Fox in Teen Wolf and Tom Hanks in Big was a really important moment. I was born in ’83 and I believe it was in the late '80s that Big came out, so I was the age of Tom Hanks’ character really. So Fox in Teen Wolf and in Back to the Future . It was those guys. It was those moments. And then it became Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino and John Cazalle. And Brando of course, oh my god, the things he did and how! Every hair on my body is standing on its edge as I speak. And then Daniel Day Lewis. And then with theatre it was Simon McBurney. It was really his work that made me want to be an actor. And then Mark Rylance has become the guy that I look to for constant inspiration – what he does on stage and on screen too. Seeing him on stage is like watching a magician, like watching David Blaine or Houdini.
Given the current political situation in the U.S., do you think it is essential for celebrities to voice their opinion?
Trump is a man who is interested only in himself. He is narcissistic, grandiose and toxic. He’s a tyrant king to whom we’ve just given all our power and applauded for embodying the modern value system of narcissism and self-absorption. He’s the richest man in the graveyard. This is my opinion about him. And a lot of people, who have a following, are making their voice heard about the monstrosity that has taken over the US and the world as well. Let’s hope for the best, even in dark times.
Lastly, are you familiar with Indian cinema? Have you watched any Indian language movies?
(Laughs) I know it’s pretty cool and big and colourful. Lots of dancing. However, I am not much educated about the Hindi film industry but I will definitely do my research. Having said that, Irrfan Khan is my favourite actor. I saw him in the first Spider-Man movie. He was phenomenal.
