British-American actor Andrew Garfield recently wrapped production on Ben Gregor’s The Magic Faraway Tree and Luca Guadagnino’s thriller After the Hunt, in which he stars alongside Julia Roberts, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Ayo Edebiri. Garfield was in Marrakech recently for the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival as a member of the jury headed by Guadagnino. Alongside his official commitments, he found time out to interact with the members of the international press.
In the wide-ranging conversation, Garfield spoke about the privilege of watching non-English speaking films as a jury member, being able to play a variety of characters, the calculated choices he has made in his career thanks to the early experiences of working with master actors and filmmakers, the roles that have deeply resonated with him, his collaboration with Guadagnino, his new film We Live in Time, how he balances mainstream and arthouse films, and more.
Excerpts:
As a cinephile yourself, how does being on the jury extend your own taste in international cinema?
It’s such a beautiful opportunity to have devoted time to non-English speaking films. It’s a privilege. I’m on a nine-to-five schedule, so I long for it. I get home after work, and I want to watch something that is surprising, experimental, and unique. But, more often than not, I will, unfortunately, just have to watch something that comforts me so I can fall asleep. So, to have a devoted week where my job is to absorb and let sink into my heart, these incredible films from around the world, made by filmmakers who are coming from such personal experience and watching them with these amazing jury members that I get to talk with and learn from and exchange ideas with and argue with; it’s a beautiful privilege.
You have had the superhero kind of fame, and you also do smaller films, independent films. How have you been able to do it?
The first film I made was a Robert Redford film with Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Tom Cruise and myself. It really ruined everything, because I then suddenly had the responsibility of my own career. I knew, from then on, that I couldn’t just take what I was given. I had to be selective because now I know the experience of working with master actors, and master filmmakers. I think what’s conscious is that I like variety. I love larger-scale things; I love tiny things. I follow my heart.
The structure of 'We Live in Time' is very complicated, original and unique. Did the screenplay impress you?
When I read the screenplay, I found it very touching and emotionally affecting. I think partly because of the nonlinear structure, which I enjoyed and found compelling and interesting. I love Nick Payne, the writer, and I love John Crowley, the director. And I thought this was quite a hard film to make, but John is very sensitive and poetic as a filmmaker, so I knew that he would be able to honour the poeticism of the screenplay.
How was the collaboration with Luca Guadagnino in the next film? What can you tell us about the film?
I can’t say much about it, but I can say that we had a really wonderful time. And I can say that I think Luca is a master, and I have known him for 14 years. I was supposed to play Tilda Swinton’s son in Luca’s I Am Love. It was very exciting, but it didn’t work out. So this collaboration has been a long time coming. We were both quite nervous about making something together finally, and I’m so pleased to say that our brotherhood was cemented. I adore him, and I would make films with him for the rest of my life if I’m able to.
How does the collaboration with the other actors work? When some of these great artists you’ve worked with like Heath Ledger or Philip Seymour Hoffman die, how does it affect you?
I’m always looking to collaborate with the great people that I’m inspired by, and that I feel drawn to. I learned so much from Phil and Heath. There’s this horrific void and vacuum that any artist or person who is that big as a soul, as a creative person, leaves behind. How they would want to feel remembered, is for other actors, other artists, to fully live into their own talents and destiny and abilities and radicalism and expansion as artists. I still feel the spirit of Phil and Heath pulling me towards what I want to do. I do feel like it’s an important relationship, which I still have with Mike Nichols, my mentor. He’s someone that I will think about when I’m reading a script and go, ‘What do you think?’ and I’ll wait for a response.
You recently said you don’t do social media because there’s no winning in that market. Is winning really important to you?
Maybe winning is not the right word. What I think and could change is that social media would probably take from my serenity more than give to my serenity. It doesn’t seem nourishing to the work, to the life I want. I am in no way someone who wants to or does turn away from the suffering of the world, and, in fact, the opposite; I think as artists we are meant to face the suffering of the world and be a part of the healing of that suffering. But I don’t know how much healing happens on social media. Maybe it does. I know it does but there’s just so much unnecessary horror to wade through to get to that healing.