Happy Sad Confused - Andrew Garfield, Vol. IV

Episode Date: October 10, 2024

If there's a more charming and talented actor working today we don't want to hear it because this is Andrew Garfield's time! Speaking of time, here Andrew and Josh chat about WE LIVE IN TIME, plus of course THE SOCIAL NETWORK, SPIDER-MAN, and much more. Recorded live at the 92nd Street Y. Subscribe here⁠ to the new Happy Sad Confused clips channel so you don't miss any of the best bits of Josh's conversations! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! ZocDoc -- Go to ZocDoc.com/HappySad BetterHelp -- Go to BetterHelp.com/HSC for 10%off UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS! Andrew Garfield 10/4 -- tickets here! 10th Anniversary event with David Harbour, Sam Heughan, Jack Quaid, and more! 10/17 -- tickets here! Anna Kendrick 10/22 -- tickets here! Nicholas Hoult 10/24 -- tickets here! Check out the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Happy Sad Confused patreon here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! We've got discount codes to live events, merch, early access, exclusive episodes, video versions of the podcast, and more! To watch episodes of Happy Sad Confused, subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Josh's youtube channel here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you're with Amex Platinum, you get access to exclusive dining experiences and an annual travel credit. So the best tapas in town might be in a new town altogether. That's the powerful backing of Amex. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more at Amex.ca. The twisted tale of Amanda Knox is an eight-episode episode Hulu original limited series that blends gripping pacing with emotional complexity, offering a dramatized look as it revisits the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox for the tragic murder of Meredith Kircher and the relentless media storm that followed. The twisted tale of Amanda Knox is now streaming only on Disney Plus.

Okay, it's official. We are very much in the final sprint to election day. And face it, between debates, polling releases, even court appearances. It can feel exhausting, even impossible to keep up with. I'm Brad Nilke. I'm the host of Start Here, the Daily Podcast from ABC News. And every morning, my team and I get you caught up on the day's news in a quick, straightforward way that's easy to understand, with just enough context so you can listen, get it, and go on with your day. So, kickstart your morning. Start Smart with Start Here and ABC News because staying informed shouldn't feel overwhelming. It's gonna be a real reason why we're all in this same multiverse, like particular universe together. It can't just be like, you know, a kind of a cameo.

It has to feel like there's a purpose to it. There's some destiny there for these three to share space. Prepare your ears, humans. Happy, sad, confused begins now. I'm Josh Horowitz, and today on Happy, Sad, Confused. We're live at the 92nd Street Y with Andrew Garfield, everybody. You ready? You are definitely ready.

I am so excited to bring Andrew out today to talk about this beautiful film. We live in time as the movie. It will probably make you cry. He and Florence Pugh kill it in this, as Andrew always does. one of the most accomplished actors of his generation. He can do it all. He can do superheroes. He can do Scorsese on stage, on screen. Academy Award nominated. Tony winning. He can sometimes be a werewolf, but I don't hold that against him. I was just testing you. You're a good crowd. Good, good. I'm so excited to talk to him about this film, his wonderful career. He is

always a gem. Please give a warm New York City welcome to Andrew Garfield. that is good. Nice to see you guys. Hi. This is nice, isn't it? I love you, whoever you are. It's nice to be here with everyone in this series. in this city and yeah, this is sweet.

Thank you for, thank you for coming out tonight. Lovely. Thank you for being here, Josh. Oh, thank you, buddy. This is a nice, yeah, it's a nice jolt of energy on a press store to hear that kind of. So congratulations, first of all, on the movie. We Live in Time is the film.

Let's start there, because I'm always curious, like, there are many reasons to take on a project. I can see many reasons why to do this, but it also has to hit you at the right time in your life and career. Where were you at when this material was presented to you And why do you think it was time to do this one in particular? I mean, I'm joking, but not, but midlife crisis.

Yep. It's a good place to start. Perfect. Thank you. And I'm still absolutely in it. No, just midlife, just like a midlife transition from, you know, I think in our 20s and 30s, we are very driven and narrow-minded and we want to plant the flag of who we are in the world and try to figure out who we are in the world.

let people know who we are in the world, and we can be quite blinded and kind of narrow in our vision. And it's survival. We're trying to survive, and then life happens, and hopefully we do plant some flags, and we do find out some of who we are. And then with that, maybe we lose a few people at the same time. And then maybe after that,

with some flags planted that you thought you knew what that was about, and then the person that you love the most is no longer there, you kind of go, well, what, what happened, and where am I going now? And everything kind of just changes. That was my experience anyway, and I've spoken about it publicly. I lost my mother during that time, and it was a rearranging experience, like my whole system was rearranged. And it was like half of my ambition died with her.

It was a really weird experience. It was a really strange thing. It's like a lot of my energy left with her. And I think knowing that we all die, you know, I think we all know that, right? No one's under the illusion that we're going to be Meryl Streep and Goldie Horn and death becomes her. Excellent reference. Well done. But even if we could be Meryl and Goldie, we know how that story ends.

And that's not a fate that either of any of us want. But, so even with that, I kind of, I kind of got very confused about the meaning of life. With this new visceral understanding that, oh, it absolutely is proven out that it does end. And then I decided kind of not intentionally, it was kind of decided for me with my own body. It was like, I just want to think about this for a while, actually. I don't want to run away from these hard questions, these hard moments, this grief, this loss, the absence, the absence of my mother's energy on this planet.

I didn't want to run away from it. I wanted to just be with it. Because, you know, we fill our lives sometimes with things that aren't healthy, whether it's work or validation or alcohol or drugs or food, you name it. There's a lot of running that we can do as human beings. And I am no different. and I really tried to stay still and be with the internal experience. But then, in the midst of that, one year in, I receive a script that we live in Time script,

and it was as if I had written it from that place. It felt like, oh, this is all of the things that I'm considering. And of course, it's written by Nick Payne, who's an amazing playwright and screenwriter. So if you haven't, yeah, Constellations was one of his great plays that a bunch of different acts have done. Again, a non-linear love story. And he's similar age to me, similar neuroses, I suppose, to me. Similar questioning and similar searching and longing.

And he just happens to be funnier than I am. And so it was like, all of that but funny. And it was like, okay, well, we need that. Otherwise, it's just going to be me kind of like existentially dreading everything. Can you make this entertaining, my existential dread? Exactly. It can't just be two hours of me going, we're all going to die, we're all going to die. We're all going to die.

What's the point? A black box theater experience with every barfield. Yeah, exactly, yeah. Add in Jaffa cakes and chocolate digestive biscuits and like snickers for some and bounties for others and, you know, a mince pie and a, you know, love and birth and, you know, like joy of being alive. and then you have a movie worth watching, I think. Yeah, you do. And add in John Crowley, who you've worked with before.

Oh, yeah, John Crowley. He directed him. Add in. Oh, Florence Pugh's in it. Florence Pugh. So I think the internet exploded when they realized that you guys were going to be working together. They were like, yes, this makes sense.

I think you guys presented on an awards show, and everyone was like, we want more of this. Right, yeah. Is it a risk to endeavor in something like this? Obviously, Florence is insanely talented. We know that, but you've never worked with her before. No. You know, we always hear about the chemistry thing, obviously.

Does it feel like a risk to get into something like this, not knowing what your dynamic is going to be? Yeah, I don't think it, no one's seen the film yet, right? No, it's not out yet, no. That makes sense, yeah. We've been doing festivals, so I don't know. But, so no, so, yeah, I was really scared, and I think Florence probably was too.

I imagine. Because, as you say, just because she's incredibly talented, obviously, we all know that. I remember seeing her in Lady Macbeth. That was the first thing I saw her in. If people haven't seen that, definitely, definitely watch it. It's a wonderful film and she's just this kind of

force of nature that arrives onto the screen and you're like, oh dear, someone very special is here now. And yeah, so it's inspiring. But then, yeah, of course, you're like, okay, are we going to like each other? Are we going to like each other? to hate each other? Are we going to sabotage each other? Like, what's it going to be?

Like, you roll the dice. It's like any relationship, any friendship, any, you know, it's always the scariest thing to trust another person with your time, with your energy, with your heart and your soul in this case, because you read the thing and you're like, oh God, these two actors are going to have to go to the most emotionally, physically, spiritually naked, vulnerable places that two actors could have to go to. So, you know, it was a daunting thing in that regard. And then very, very quickly, I realized that she cared so deeply about her work. And maybe even more importantly, she cared so deeply about everyone being honored

and everyone being, feeling belonging, you know? I think that's a tricky thing. I think it's easier to do in the theatre because it is such a communal, I don't know, everyone's so dependent on each other in the theatre, whereas in film, I think there's this hierarchy that can happen sometimes where one person thinks they're more important than the next.

And it's a refreshing thing, and it happened on tick-tick-boom in the sense that it was theater people, you know. It was like, oh, thanks. But it was a bunch of theater people who knew the score, and it was like, if one of us isn't fully here, and if one of us isn't fully welcomed

to the community, then we are not complete, and we're not whole. And she also has that understanding. John Crowley has that understanding, and so the tone set by, I think, the three of us for the crew was that. And I was just so pleasantly surprised.

And then you add to that a similar working style. Like there are some actors and there are multiple ways to skin a cat. Why is that an expression? You've not skinned a cat different ways in your life? No, I guess I haven't lived. I don't know why that's the, it's such a weird, but there are multiple ways to skin a cat. And you all know what I mean.

So in terms of people's methodology with acting, in terms of how people approach the work, there is no right way, there is no wrong way. you're hurting yourself or another, I believe. Actually, maybe if you hurt yourself, that's your choice, but maybe a little sick, and you might need some extra psychiatric help. But I, you know, do no harm to your fellow actor.

But then, and then some people will show up very, very rigid in what they're going to do, and it's like, this is what I do in this line, this is what I do, and this is, blah, blah, and no matter what you throw at them, it's like, no, it's like impenetrable. And that's fine. And I know there's some great Oscar-winning performances that are that. And it just, it's what you like at work. And what I like at work, I like preparing really hard for months in advance.

And I like to get myself inside the heart, soul, mind, body, physicality, voice, longings of the character. And then I like to prepare as hard as I can so that I can, As soon as action is yelled, I can totally surrender to whatever the moment is. That's what gives me the most pleasure. And I always hope that my fellow actor is similar, and Florence is exactly the same. Like it was just this, oh my God, we got to play.

It was like the original impulse of when I was first making home movies with my dad or when I was making home movies with my high school friends. We had a production company called Bouget Productions, which is a French pronunciation of budget production. And we made like spoofs. We would get really high. We would make spoofs of like Guy Ritchie films,

like Lockstock and Two Smoking Barrels or like James Bond films. And we would edit in camera like one take and then you move on. And it was like a little handy cam. It was before we had like Nokia phones with snake on them. like the good old days and then we had a handy cam that we would like record okay stop, okay start

okay next scene, what's the next scene? I have no idea, let's just do it and it was the most joyful thing so it feels when a film set can feel like that, when it feels like you're making a film with actors, yeah, those are just questions come on down, you know I'm aware

I was prepared, they prepared me backstage but still nothing can prepare you they were like if you see people coming towards the stage act as if that you know that it's okay and I failed I failed miserably I was like I was like there's people coming down I know I'm supposed to be okay with this but I say it feels weird still I don't trust it and and and and hence my trust issues issues with

Florence and and and she I don't trust anybody I don't trust anyone in this room I've been fucked over too many times by all of you all I haven't really but but but she but she is one of those remarkable, alive creatures, you know, and it's like playing with your best friend when you're eight years old, and it just so happens that, you know, you're in some pretty sexually intimate scenes as well, which are very awkward.

Like there's nothing, I promise you, there's nothing glamorous about that. It occurs to me, I'll switch the subject so you don't blush. We talked before about actors growing up that you admired and like Tom Hanks always comes up. It occurs me, 30 years ago, it's potentially Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in We Live in Time. Does that occur to you? Only now.

Okay. That's a beautiful. I mean, I like that. I like that. And they went on to, you know, what they do? They did sleepless in Seattle. They did... They did...

The Volcano, yes. They did... You've got male. What else? It was just three? Those are the three key ones. Those are the three key... There's two key ones.

Joe Buzz of the Volcano, no one in this room is seen. It's worth the watch. Who's seen it? Really? You've seen it? John Patrick Shanley, yeah. It's a weird, it's a weird-ass movie, but it's one of, oh, it's so good, anti-capitalist as well, so yay.

Okay, so you did mention intimacy. I mean, there are a lot of intimate moments in different ways in this film. Yes, there's sex scenes, but there's also a birth scene. There's cutting her hair. These all have to feel intensely intimate. Yeah. What do you recall from any of those? What jogs your memory in terms of like connecting with her and feeling like exposed in the best possible way and connected to your co-star?

Yeah, I don't want to give anything away because there are some surprises in the film in terms of how some of those scenes play out. And the birth scene in particular is quite special when I read it, when I read it on the page, I was like, I have never ever seen a film, a scene like this in a film, and that's a rare thing to feel. It's like, oh, no, this is, they've reinvented this style of scene in such a wild way and how are we going to do it. I will attest. You're going to see this in the theater and you're going to do audibly react. It's an audience participation moment. It really is. It's a collective experience.

It's beautiful. And it's funny and it's moving and yeah, it's quite, and very English all the while. Sorry, what was the question? Just of all of those different intimate moments, the birth scene, like cutting the hair. the sex scenes. I mean, I don't know, like, in terms of when you felt most connected or awkward in the best possible way. Oh, no. Can I tell this story, Andrew? No, I'm not asking you, Josh. I ask Andrew. Yes, Andrew. All right, well, there's your answer. That is my inner voice. I, um, it's pretty funny. And I don't think Florence would mind. Um, so the first sex scene we shot,

we were really, really nervous because it just is that way and we were really trying to make sure that each of us were okay we had a great intimacy coordinator there it was more of a choreographer than anything we choreographed a bunch of very beautiful sex scenes

and the first one we shot happened to be one where we had been married for a while so it had to feel very comfortable and very owned and like we knew each other's bodies and we knew each other's wants and we could feel into each other's emotionally and you know it was a lot of like build-up and and you know I think

particularly for a man on set with a woman it's like the responsibility is so heightened like to make sure that like I will I will probably ask if she is okay an annoying amount you know what I mean it's like it's like is this is everything it's like I'll move I'll move slightly towards her. Is this okay? Is this all right? I'm so comfortable. How's this? I might kiss you now, but we don't have to, even though we're pretending to be married, we don't have to be a married couple that kiss. And she was exactly the same. She would just laugh at me because she's very confident

in her body and in her sexuality and in her being. You know, Florence is Florence. So anyway, we do the first take of this very intimate, passionate sex scene. And it's a closed set, which means it's only me and Florence in the room together. And the camera operator, who's our DP, a lovely man called Stuart. And he's very, very polite and very sweet and gentle. And our boom operator, who's also very sweet and gentle, and they're both so English. And we're in this room in this old country house that we live in. And the director's in another room next door.

And so the scene becomes passionate as we've choreographed it. And we get into it, as it were. And we go a little bit further than we were meant to, just because we haven't heard car, and it's feeling safe, and we're just kind of like, okay, we'll go to the next thing to the next thing, and we'll let this progress, and we'll just carry on. And then at a certain point, both of us kind of like, I feel like we're both kind of telepathically saying to each other,

this definitely feels like a longer take than expected. And notice I'm doing this motion. And, and I think I look up, and I have to, like, show you. No, no, no, it's nothing like, I'm not going to tri-rate. I look, I look up, I'm not playing myself in this, I'm playing someone else. I look up, and in the corner is Stuart and our boom operator. Stewart has the camera by his side. And he's turned into the wall into the corner with his head down.

And the boom operator is also like this. And we crack up. Me and Florence crack up and we shout. We're like, John, you've got to say cut louder. And Florence was like, oh my God, this is the most cringed moment of my fucking life. And poor Stuart, because he was just there waiting for us to stop groaning. It was brutal. And, like, just took the curse off of any other.

It was like, oh, you start with a bang. And it's like, as it were. And it's like, okay, that was the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened. And now nothing could get anywhere. So it was just like, it just like deepened our comfort. And John came in, he was like, guys, I'm so sorry. I was trying to be loud, but the groaning was rather loud. And maybe you couldn't hear me over your own groaning.

And it was hilarious. Well done. It's a weird job. It's a really weird gig. Just another Tuesday at work. Exactly. Well, it's like that great thing. actually isn't it like Martin Freeman in when he's when he's the stand-in and they're just

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It is fair to say a high percentage of the audience will cry at some point watching this film. My curiosity is for you as an actor, are you able to cry at your own films? If you're watching the end of Hacksaw Ridge, you're watching Gwen Stacy fall to her death. Will it's here come to your eye? Yeah, I mean, yeah, actually, you know? Like, yeah, I mean, why not?

Yeah, yeah. When a movie's good, a movie's good. And I, and I, I, I got over, I got over a lot of self-loathing when I was young, because, you know, I mean, whenever we hear our own voice on an outgoing voice, it's like, you're like, oh, I'm going to kill myself today. Oh, well, that's that. I no longer will exist. After I finish my dinner. And then you kind of, you realize that's an overreaction. But it's like, for an actor, it's like that magnified by a thousand

because it's your whole being on screen. And you kind of, and for a while I wouldn't watch my own films because I just was trying to protect myself from that feeling. And then I realized how much I wanted to be a part of the whole process. Like, I really want it. And I wanted to enjoy the films that I made. Like, how devastating and sad to make things and not be able to enjoy them yourself. Like, not in a way of like, I'm the fucking, I'm the man.

It's not like, it's not like an ego trip. It's more just like, or be able to have like an accurate feeling, like an accurate response, like not inflated or deflated. It's like, oh, how do I feel about that now? Oh, yeah, I feel okay about it. Or I feel really still bad about it or whatever it is. Well, even the sad irony of being like the world, like you were a huge, Spider-Man fan. You don't want to be the one Spider-Man

that can't enjoy Spider-Man. Right, yeah, well, that was a while for me. That definitely was. No, I mean, that's part of the job, man. Like, that, I didn't realize that going into it. I was like, no, this is part, absolutely, when you have the responsibility of that character, you do not get to enjoy it.

Like, you don't. Like, you have to, you have to devote yourself to it, and actually, like, moments of enjoyment, sure, but, like, ultimately, you're holding, you're holding the hopes and dreams of, you know, the gajillions of people, including yourself. So it's like, it's a heavy burden. And I'm actually, like, so proud that I got to be a part of it in that way

and took it that seriously. But I figured out I really wanted to be a part of the whole process of filmmaking. Whatever film I did, I wanted to be a part of pre-production, post-production. The edit, I wanted to give notes, I wanted to collaborate with my director. I really just wanted to learn, and I just wanted to be more open and like honestly just kind of get over myself as much as humanly possible and remember that it's that I'm a cog in the kind of machinery. It's the wrong analogy, but I'm a part. I'm like, I don't know, I'm the paint or the bra, I don't know, I'm part of it. I'm not like, and it's like, and I just want to honor that I'm just a part of it, you know, and not take myself so seriously within it. I feel like I've spent like half my career talking to like this crew of actors, your age, that came of age together.

Jamie Dorn and Charlie Cox, Jamie and Rob Pattinson, Tom Sturridge, Eddie Redmayne. Did I leave anyone out? You tell me. I did an interview the other day for The Hollywood Reporter and I mentioned this crew. and I did mention Jamie and I did mention Rob and they left it out and I saw that the journalist

maybe didn't hear me over the Zoom and I was like, Jamie is going to be texting me in five, four, four, and he was a screen grab of that part of the interview and he had drawn on it, wow. And I had my voice note prepped I was like my brother, my friend, my lover,

I love you more than anything and you know this and I guarantee and I will get the transcript, I will get the audio. I said your name. You were top of the pile, my guy. He does have some resentment issues against you. I've experienced this. Because he mentioned, he said two things to me.

He told me a story about a skiing trip where he was injured. Broke his shoulder, yeah. And you did not really help with the rescue. Oh, fuck. That is such fucking bullshit. I got him airlifted off this fucking mountain. He says, it's on tape.

He was unconscious. Well, And he's claiming to remember the event? He says you spent most of the time videotaping the actual events. I wouldn't say most of the time. I would say it was probably like I dealt with the issue first and then when I was free to document it. I did because I knew he would want that.

When I asked him about those days, I asked who in that group was like the one that they all talked about? Like this was the actor that was going to break through first. and they said, everybody talked about you as like, this is the Brando, this is the guy. Did you feel that back in the day? This was the moniker on you? What's happening?

You okay? Yeah, no, it's just like, yeah, of course. Who were you in that group? Who were you in that group? What was your identity? My identity? I don't know. I'm not sure.

I don't know. I think it was what is great and we are all still very close. We see each other less frequently because, you know, life and families and children but when we do see each other

it's like, yeah, it is a family feeling. What's amazing about that group of actors is that we wore our jealousy and our envy on our sleeves with each other. Right.

and we like made fun of ourselves for it and we made fun of each other for it and because of that I think because of the ownership of that it's just it's going to be an inherent dynamic between young striving struggling actors it's like well we could either own this or pretend like it's not there and then we can really like

try and sabotage each other but like if we own it there's no sabotage there and then we can actually sincerely like fully support each other and I remember the first time I really felt that was with Eddie I didn't, because I think, you know, coming into a group of guys that could be competitive, I was brought up in a very competitive house.

So my first go-to is like, you know, like who do I have to, like, beat up in order to whatever. You know, like actor beat up, not like, you know, like pretend. Not the face, like anything but the face. Obviously. But Eddie was immediately so self-deprecated. and so charming and so, like, Toll was just telling us and me stories about, like, horror stories of his worst auditions, most embarrassing auditions ever, and I was like, this is so sweet. This is so lovely. And, yeah, he's someone who really wears his heart on his sleeve and is, yeah, he's a beautiful man. They all are. They're all just great, great guys. I love them all. One early film I don't think we've ever talked about, I'm curious. I must have been an extraordinary experience for a number of reasons was Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.

Oh, yeah, yeah. You worked with the great Terry Gilliam on that. Obviously, the amazing Heath Ledger was in that. And I know, you know, I mean, I watched an old interview with you and Terry talking about Heath at the time, and it must have made such an impact what Heath's spirit was on set, how inventive and enthusiastic he was. Is that fair to say that he shifted something in you? I think so, yeah. I think he was a kind of beacon.

It was like a wild animal, and he had just done the Joker. He had just finished during the Dark Night, and he was so smug about it. I was like, how did that go? He was like, yeah, it's going to be good. And then, like, I remember, like, his Empire magazine cover came out, and he was like, are they used a fucking shit photo? And I'm like, are you kidding?

You do that? That looks fucking incredible. He's like, no, the pose is all wrong. It just looks like a kind of like a conventional version of what, no, you'll see. And I'm like, yeah, I did see. Like, yeah, so, no. He was so free and so wild and so kind of dangerous on set in a way that was, you know,

the kind of thing that is inspiring and spontaneous. And, you know, he would say before every take or like maybe one take every scene. He would be, let's have some fun with this one. And I was like, oh, yeah, let's have some fun with this one. Right, yeah, let's have some fun. Rather than trying to get it right. And I was in the stage of my career or, like, development as an actor. where I was really concerned with, you know, getting it right or being good, whatever that means,

this kind of very narrow way of approaching creative work. Like, again, concerned with how I looked or concerned with, you know, not being bad and just how dampening that can be to creativity. If you know, if you're not, if the channel isn't open, then nothing can come through and you can't, and also it's not fun or pleasurable. So yeah, that was definitely something that Heath was a beacon of for me that I definitely, and I still have like lots of mementos of his, I remember, like the first day I met him, he was wearing these amazing camo, rayban, sunglasses, and I just said, hey, cool sunglasses, he was like, oh yeah. And the next day, they were like in my dressing room. He just left them for me. He was just a very generous, like, yeah, beautiful, creative, yeah, spirit.

A much different kind of performance. It's ironic given, like, we're talking about the freedom. And, like, often we talk about the constrictions and not in a negative way, but like the perfectionism that is Mr. David Fincher. I want to show a clip from the social network. It's the most rewatchable movie ever. I will never tire of watching it. Let's watch this amazing scene in an amazing.

movie The Social Network. Mark! He's wired in. Is he wired in? Is he? Security. You wish for 24 million new shares of stock. You were told that if new investors came along.

How much for your shares diluted? How much for his? How much for his? What was Mr. Zuckerman? What was Mr. Zucker? You issued 24 million new shares of stock. You were told that if new investors came along. How much for your shares diluted?

How much for his? What was Mr. It wasn't. It wasn't. It wasn't. What was Mr. Moscovitz's ownership share diluted down to? It wasn't. What was Sean Parker's ownership share diluted down to?

It wasn't. What was Peter Thiel's ownership share diluted down to? It wasn't. And what was your ownership share diluted down to? .03%. You signed the papers. You set me up. You're gonna blame me because you were the business head of the company

and you made a bad business deal with your own company. This is gonna be like I'm not a part of Facebook. It won't be like you're not a part of Facebook. My name's on the masthead. You might want to check again. It's because I froze the account? We think we were gonna let you parade around in your ridiculous suits, pretending you were running this company.

Sorry, my Prada's at the cleaners! Along with my hoodie and my fuck you flip-flops, you pretentious doucheback! Security's here. Not signing those papers. We would get the signature. Tell me this isn't about me getting into the Phoenix. You. You did it. I knew you did it. You planted that story about the chicken.

I didn't plant the story about the chicken. What's he talking about? You had me accused of animal cruelty. Seriously, what the hell's the chicken? And I'll bet what you hated the most is that they identified me as a co-founder of Facebook, which I am. You better lawyer up, asshole, because I'm not coming back for 30%. I'm coming back for everything.

I mean, it does not get any better. Does anybody ever say you better lawyer up asshole to you? You ever get that? I do, I do. I like it. I like it. Yeah, it's a great scene. I'm really like, you never know.

You don't know what you're doing. And then suddenly, you know, it's iconic writing and the score is, I, fuck, that score. And, you know, it's David is a master, Fincher is a master, and he created a space for us to really, you know, do all that. And, yeah, I, and, you know, I got to mention, like, you know, I started working on, when I made this film, I started working with my, my still current acting. coach and teacher. This was the first film I really started working with her on, and it was Greta Seacat. And her mother was Sandra Seacat, who I did a show called Under the Banner of Heaven with. She played my mother in Under the Banner of Heaven. And Sandra Seacat was an actor-studio actor and then became a coach. She coached Mickey Rourke and

Jessica Lang and Laura Dern. And I think she even was around Brando for a while and like And then her daughter Greta has taken on the kind of the mantle of her method and her technique, which absolutely is Sandra's and now Greta's. And so working with Greta on this, I won't tell you what my choices were for this scene or what was going on internally or what I was concentrating on or what was giving me the energy for the scene. But without Greta, I don't think I would have had access to the parts of me that were necessary to make that feel. like it was, you know, that we could all put ourselves in the position of Eduardo because we've all been betrayed. And we all wish we could have that level of righteous rage and

indignation, have all those angels on our side with us. We could, like, it's like, you can feel that he's surrounded by, like, righteous angels who are just, like, murder that motherfucker. Like, all of us know what that experience is, and all of us wish we were that articular, that erudite, that funny, and that fucking slight. moments like that. So I think that's one of the reasons why that scene is so meaningful. But I owe a lot of that to obviously

all the people I mentioned, but Greta, my friend Greta, who really helps me access me in the way that is then generous and hopefully we'll be generous for an audience, you know. Okay, it's official. very much in the final sprint to election day.

And face it, between debates, polling releases, even court appearances. It can feel exhausting, even impossible to keep up with. I'm Brad Milkey. I'm the host of Start Here, the Daily Podcast from ABC News. And every morning, my team and I get you caught up on the day's news in a quick, straightforward way that's easy to understand with just enough context so you can listen, get it, and go on with your day. So, kickstart your morning.

Start Smart with Start Here and ABC News because staying informed shouldn't feel overwhelming. How ingrained in you is the audition you did for Spider-Man? How well do you remember? Very well. I remember both of them very well. I remember the first one and the screen test, yeah, very, very well. What sticks out?

Did you feel like you were, you had a... shot that you were keying into what you wanted to do and what they wanted out of the character. At first I thought, you know, I did the first audition and I felt, oh, then that's that. I'm too old. I felt like I was too old. Just generally, I was like, I'm 26, 27, and I'm playing at high school. It's still like, or 25, 26, I'm playing high school. I know I got good genes and all, but like, I don't know. But I could just feel, I'm just like, ah, no, that's not going my way, whatever.

dodged a bullet probably and then it would have been the worst yeah it would have been a piece of shit anyway and then and then I was surprised to have been given an opportunity to come and screen test

and it was Greta I was working with Greta I was prepping with Greta and Greta was like I just I have an adjustment for you for when you go onto this screen test because I was like vibrating with nerves and she was like so I'm going to give you an acting adjustment and the acting adjustment is you have to treat this screen

test as if, with your imagination, just as if you are making a short film with all your high school friends. And I think it was that that allowed me to go, okay, fuck it. And like I had free, in that Heath Ledger kind of, like, beacon way of like, just like, keep the channel open, be free, this doesn't matter, treat it as if it doesn't fucking matter. And of course, when you do that, that's when, that's when whatever talent you do have, you can be just there and playful and enjoy it's like you become a child again and like you respond and you're alive and you're emotionally available and you're not tight and like trying to get it right and so again greta she's getting a lot of air time tonight she'll be very embarrassed she's someone that does not like to be talked about so uh i will stop now but yeah i remember that feeling of like i don't give a fuck and you know you know like brit robertson you're the actress britt robertson she was reading in with us and uh and she was wonderful i and I was so grateful to her, and I felt kind of bad for her

because she had to do a whole day of two days of screen tests with all these different actors, like, trying to charm her, and she had to kiss each and every one of us. And it was, yeah, I felt for her, and I did, but she was wonderful, and I remember feeling really good at the end of it. I just remember going, that couldn't have gotten any better. And then I didn't hear for a bunch of months. And then just kind of, yeah.

Jumping it way ahead, we had a few conversations a couple years ago when No Way Home came out. Yeah. Which was a miracle of a movie. Yeah. Were you nervous once you were on set or by the time you got on set and you were all there, like, oh, they made it happen, this is going to work?

Or did it still feel like? No, I had no idea. None of us. I think what's remarkable is that John was. is so good and so confident in himself as a filmmaker, that that was the thing that I was looking at. I was like, okay, he's chilling, that's interesting, all right. I'm just gonna like trust that that is not a pose,

and it wasn't. He was like, we'll find it, we'll find what it is. And I think with that spirit, you know, and I had had multiple conversations with him before because I was like, you know, I don't want to do this if it's not going to be fun. I don't want to do this if it's not going to be healing in some way. healing in some way. I don't want to do this if it's not going to feel like it's actually

meaningful. There's got to be a real reason why we're all in this same multiverse, like particular universe together. It can't just be like, you know, a kind of a cameo. It has to feel like there's a purpose to it. There's some destiny there for these three to share space. And he was so up for that, as were the writers, as were the other, you know, Toby and Tom and Amy. And, you know, the only thing that was really set for my character was that I was going to catch MJ. And that's what sold me on it. I was like, I was okay that's plenty but but but around that I was like we need to have fun we need to be we need to it needs to feel offbeat I I kind of wanted to feel a little like analog or something like you

don't want the obvious shit to happen you want you want you want Toby to have his back cracked by me you want like right you want us to be asking him annoying questions about like what you want us to be comparing like villains we you want all that crazy fun nerd shit like letting yourself go well what would it be what would the banal conversation be what would the kind of waiting for the villains to show up like what is that like passing the time like not it didn't we and it was mostly improvised all of that was mostly improvised and so much fun just joyful so yeah you talked about saving MJ I do have a clip I want to show it's after you

save MJ another hugely emotional scene from one of your films that just worked Let's remind ourselves of this moment from No Way Home. I lost... I lost Gwen. My, um... She was my M.J. I couldn't save her. I'm never going to be able to forgive myself for that.

But I carried on and tried to, um... try to keep going, try to keep going. and try to keep being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man because I know that's what she would have wanted, but at some point, I just, I stopped pulling my punches. I got rageful. I got bitter. I just don't want you to end up like me.

Sweet. It's like, sibling, it's like, you know, it's like so cool to like, you know, the sibling kind of feeling, that mentorship thing. It's like, we really haven't seen that for that character in that way. Yeah, sure, like the Tony Stark mentorship is there, but I don't know, there's something really beautiful about these isolated, like, inherently isolated characters that are, like, part of their, the canon is the loneliness. and the isolation, just for a flash getting a little bit of like hands reaching out across space in time and going, oh my God, we're not all actually alone, and we are going to be alone again, but maybe we can remember this strange dream that we had together. It's quite beautiful. My only other Spider-Man question, you might have to Don the Werewolf for a moment here.

I refuse to believe that in the last few years you haven't had some conversations about what might be the future for your Spider-Man. Why are you laughing at me? No, because you're, yeah, yeah, of course. Like, you would, I mean, it's not an, it's not like your assumption is not, I don't know, unfounded. I would, if I was in your position, I can imagine going, yeah, he's probably had conversations too, yeah. Have you offered up your own perspective ideas, ideas to Amy and company about what you'd like to see? See, I also, I also understand. that question as well.

I understand in your position you're going to be wondering if because it was such a success. That you'd kind of go, well, they must be talking about it. And Andrew, knowing Andrew is, I know Andrew, Josh, I am Josh

now, Andrew's full of ideas. So he's definitely express some of those. I can imagine how you would imagine that to be true. Don't clap for that. We're not getting anywhere, guys. If I were a betting man, do you think I should bet on ever seeing you as Spider-Man again? That's my last try.

You don't want me to lose my money, Andrew. No, I care for you. I care about you, but also this feels a little tantamount to illegal, like, I don't know, kind of insider trading. some kind of way. No matter what I say, I could be held liable for that. And so, yeah, I'm going to decline to comment. Fair enough. Let the body language experts have a field day on that one.

You saw a little moment from silence. I do want to mention your amazing collaboration with Martin Scorsese. Must be a life-changing experience. I remember how long that was in the works for Scorsese. And when you get that opportunity to work in not only I mean like every Scorsese project is special but that one in particular How did that alter you, you think, as a

human being on the planet Earth? Yeah, I don't know. Big question. Yeah, well, I think it made my so the premiere, so we did a screening at the Academy in L.A., which I'm sure you've seen films at. It's an amazing, the Dolby Theater.

It's like one of the great movie theaters in the world probably, and it you know, the sound is incredible, The screens amazing, the seats are comfy, it's like you're in the epicenter of cinema, and they'll do screenings for the movies every year, and Academy members will come and watch, and I flew my dad and mom out to watch silence at the Academy Theatre. I just was like, because my dad's favorite filmmaker is Martin Scorsese, and his favorite actor is Stephen Segal. and I wish I was joking my dad has a lot of weird proclivities and tastes

that are far reaching but he's loved Scorsese since Mean Streets and so I was like your son's in a Scorsese film and he couldn't have been prouder and I flew them out and I knew he would be jet lagged

and I knew that he would be tired and I know that he loves napping in movie theaters because they're the coziest places in the world but I was like I had faith I was like you know what it's his son it's Scorsese he's not gonna nap and my mum will keep elbowing him sure enough 20 minutes in he was out like a light

and I'm like my dude like you can't it's like your own flesh and blood and your favorite filmmaker couldn't keep it was like it was a cozy sea you know I'll pirate the movie on like online later I'll burn it off of whatever later and no but it was It was a very prideful moment, but with him, with Marty, I think one of the main things he taught me was that you can be a master at what you do.

You can be the most incredible, creative genius, and also incredibly nice at the same time. Like, he is such a decent, funny man, friend, collaborator. He involves everyone in the crew. He leaves no person behind. he's a joyful person. And I don't know if he was always that way, but with us, he absolutely was. And that's all I've heard about him, being that way.

So I just think that, you know, you don't have to be a piece of shit if you're making great art. You can also be kind and you can be generous. You can be fierce and you can ask for what you need and you can tell everyone to shut the fuck up when they're not being respectful to the process. But that's loving in my book.

Is it true you guys have been talking about potentially working on? There's a project called The Life of Jesus. No, that's not true. I wish it was. That's not, that's not, that's not something that is a real thing. For me, anyway, and I don't know where he's at with it. Last I saw him, he was, it was in London. There was a screening of Killers of the Flower Moon. And, yeah, it's a wonderful film.

And I was, it was with some of the native actors and also, the people who are supporting, promoting the film from Native American communities. And it was a really profound night. And another profound thing was, you know, I don't know, we'll see each other every six months maybe and it's got it as our time, as we come closer and close. He says, he's very honest, he's like, yeah,

well, I don't know how many more I got left in me, but you know, but he's so, he's so just like chipper about it. He's like, so I better, I better get moving, and it's like, fuck, man, like, maybe I need to make it, like, every two months rather than every six months. Because you just never, you never know. It's like, I long for him to be alive for another hundred years and to make a hundred more movies, but, you know, we'll see.

You're not wanting for opportunities. You've just worked with the great Luca Guadernino. I can't wait to see that one. I mean, you've worked with the best of the best. Is there anything we need to manifest for you tonight? Well, yeah, can we all close our eyes and pray? Is there, you know, they made another Paddington without you. That's fucked up.

That's a little left up. That is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Upsetting. Star Wars, Narnia, Harry Potter. You don't need another franchise, but I want to help you, buddy. What do you want?

What can this 500 people collectively clap our hands and make happen for you? Oh, man, I don't know. I'm pretty, you know what? Like, I, out of everyone in the world, I don't need, I'm so happy. Like, I, there's, we should be putting our energy towards something that actually matters. What could be more important than that right now? Yeah, yeah, maybe the lives of, I don't know, Palestinians in Gaza right now. Maybe, maybe that's where we put our hearts and our energy and anyone suffering, anyone oppressed, anyone that is suffering under the weight of the, the horrors of our world right now.

anyone who doesn't have a choice in, you know, living lives of dignity, it's, yeah, it's, yeah, that's where our energy should be going right now. Is there a director you've come close to working with that you're dying for another bracket? Come close to working with. Yeah, Guillermo del Toro. Guillermo, you almost like Frankenstein, right? Yeah, yeah. But I'm really so excited.

I just didn't work out for reasons that you guys didn't need to know about. But nothing bad, just like, we love each other. And I'm so disappointed that I wasn't able to go on that journey. And I'm obviously incredibly excited to see Jacob, Elodie, an amazing actor who I'm excited to see. I get to just be a fan now. It's like, I didn't have to sit, six, seven hours in the prosthetics chair every morning. Like, I'm going to see how his skin is doing. No, I'm so excited.

And to work with Oscar would have been amazing. and Christoph Volz and yeah that would have been a dream come true for sure but now I get to just be a fan and a supporter our time is running short

but I'm going to end with a happy second fuse profoundly random questions for you oh please dogs or cats dogs just because I'm allergic to cats

it's no like yeah you don't hate cats like you hate the horse no I love that I actually adore that horse it doesn't sound like That horse is the only reason people know about this movie. What do you collect?

Do you collect anything? I do collect some stuff. Skateboards. Oh, fuck off. Someone was like, and I'm like, yeah. We thought it's cool. We thought better of you, yeah, Drew.

I collect like, um, what are, I mean books, but like that's not really a collecting thing, I guess. I collect ceramics. I collect like old ceramics. old ceramics and plates and pots and like Staffordshire ceramics. That's a style of ceramics that I really like. I collect art. I collect... Do you collect stuff from...

Do you take stuff from set? I do, I will. So from silence, I took, there's a thing called the Fumi, which I have to put my foot on to forsake Christ, and it's a bronze, beautiful bronze depiction of Christ. I took one of those home with me. And in Haxall Ridge, I got my little Bible home with me. I took... Every time I try, I try to take something, you know.

What's the Spidey? Yeah, I was thinking about what the Spider-Man thing was. What was the Spider-Man thing? Just a lot of trauma. A big jar of trauma and angst. Lots of, like, you know. Tears, a jar of tears. Reflection.

No, no, I, what was it? What was it? Just friendships and great memories. There you go. And, yeah, lots of learning. And yeah, no, yeah, yeah. What's the wallpaper on your phone? It's not on me.

It's, I think it's, I think I keep it very banal. It's like the blue, like, general background. Yeah, no, fuck that. Like, you know, there's nowhere safe anymore. You know what I'm saying. Like, people be, people be at, you know, a restaurant or like, sleeping on a plane and you wake up and there's a photo of you sleeping on a plane online.

Like, that's some fucked up shit. Like, you're talking, having a private conversation at breakfast and someone's recording it, and then they'll tell a gossip site about what you're talking about. That's some fucked up shit. For a generation at a time that's obsessed, and rightly so,

with consent. Hmm. And I say, and underlined and underscore and highlight rightly so. Consent. is sexy. But why doesn't it apply to fucking violating people's privacy

and personal space? Just think. I have to think about that tonight. Who's the last actor you were mistaken for? That's funny. I have two answers. So the first answer is sometimes people will be in the stream

be like, hey, are you, Andrew Garfield, and I'll be like, no, I'm so sorry. So I get mistaken for Andrew Garfield a lot. But I think the last, well, the one I remember, the one that came to my mind that I now have to share because I don't have a fucking filter. Like, when I was just starting out, and I had not made a film,

and I was going to a very fancy party, and I just didn't belong. I wasn't invited, I was a plus one. I was going into this party, And as someone was coming, I was like, Yo, it's Napoleon Dynamite. So. Amazing.

I didn't feel great about it. Oh, and then another one, it was like, isn't that the motherfucker from Scooby-Doo? Isn't that shaggy? Yeah, that's shaggy, yeah, that's shaggy. What's the worst note a director has ever given you? Oh, my God. If you want to lie down

Fuck, hell Honestly, I'm not going to I'm not going to know You have to name a name, but Someone told me to do press ups before a take Yeah, I know, that's pretty fucked up Yeah, I didn't love that I did the press ups, but I didn't love it

I'll do it, but I'll do it, but you're suss All right, finally In honor of happy, say I confuse, an actor who always makes you happy. You see them on screen. Oh. You're happy. Oh. Oh. Who would that be?

Who would that be? Paddington, Tom Hanks. Wait, no. Who makes me happy? Go to your happy place, Andrew. Go to my happy place. Okay, right now. Who do you see?

I see two people. And they kind of could be, mother and daughter. It's Julia Roberts and I.O. DeBerry. You're co-stars. Same mouths. Big, beautiful smiles, both of them. I'm not saying anything weird. No. They talk about it. This is something they've said. Right. But they, but they could be, they could be related.

They're very similar energy. They're a very similar... I don't know. They'll have a look. And they're both just joyful. They're both like absolute joyous people in a scary kind of way where you're like, where are the bodies buried?

No, they're wonderful. After the hunt coming soon. Yeah. A movie that makes you sad. Always makes you sad. It makes you cry. That's your go-to. A little cathartic.

Yeah, I'm trying to think. Hmm, come back to me on that because I don't. There's only one more, so you only have a... Well, there's a, the problem is there's a lot of films that make me really sad. Do you go Pixar? Do you go, in terms of endearment, do you do a... You guys have a moment, right? They will happily stay all night.

I just thought of Philadelphia Just thought of that scene Where Tom is listening to whatever that classical music piece is And the Jonathan Demi's camera Like climbs And he's like enraptured And he's like So full of longing for life

Ah Yeah that's a good one You and Jonathan Demi would have a bit of fun Oh man That would have been wonderful, yeah And finally, a food that makes you confused, Andrew. You don't get it. Yeah.

Oh, don't get it. Well, I have a few things that I can't eat, but like, confused? I guess I am confused by mashed potatoes because I know. No, I understand. That's why it's confusing, because even at this point, like as a 41-year-old person, like, just get over it, right? Because it's like everyone's favorite thing. But I had a really, I went to a school in England

where we weren't allowed to bring our own lunches. And unless you were Rio Hay, who was from Japan because he had a very different diet. So he brought, yeah, he brought us a sushi and I was so envious of Rio Hay. And I would hide in the, in the, the toilets so I didn't have to eat the school lunches, but I would always be dragged out. And I was given them mashed potatoes, and if I think about it too hard, I will wretch.

They were traumatizing, and since then I really just can't do it. I can do mashed anything else, mash anything else, and I'm like, I love this, but like, it's something, I can't think about it anymore, actually. No, no, it's okay, too. I'll be 200 bucks for your therapy session. I always adore talking to you. You're always open, honest, and fun. I truly appreciate the time, except, you know,

around the Spider-Man stuff. That you could be a little better about. Sure. No. I'll work on that. No, you're the best man. Congratulations. We live in time.

You guys are going to love this movie. Check it out. Spread the good word. Share it up one more time for Andrew Garfield, everybody. Thanks, man. Thank you. It's brilliant. Thanks, guys.

Really fun. Thank you. for being here and hanging out and thank you very much. Have a great night. See you later. And so ends another edition of happy, sad,

confused. Remember to review, rate and subscribe to this show on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm a big podcast person. I'm Daisy Ridley and I definitely wasn't pressure to do this by Josh.

I'm Amy Nicholson, the film critic for the L.A. Times. And I'm Paul Shear, an actor, writer, and director. You might know me from The League, Veep, or my non-eligible for Academy Award role in Twisters. We love movies, and we come at them from different perspectives. Yeah, like, Amy thinks that, you know, Joe Pesci was miscast in Goodfellas, and I don't. He's too old. Let's not forget that Paul thinks that Dude, too, is overrated. It is.

Anyway, despite this, we come together to host Unspooled, podcast where you talk about good movies, critical hits. Fan favorites, musts season, and case you missed them. We're talking Parasite the Home Alone. From Greece to the Dark Night. We've done deep dives on popcorn flicks. We've talked about why Independence Day deserves a second look. And we've talked about horror movies, some that you've never even heard of like Ganges and Hess.

So if you love movies like we do, come along on our cinematic adventure. Listen to Unspooled wherever you get your podcast. And don't forget to hit the follow button. Thank you.