Andrew Garfield is known for his memorable performance in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. Apart from that, he is known and credited for many of his roles. Garfield was also nominated for Oscars for his portrayal of Jonathan Larson in ‘Tik Tik Boom’. While preparing for a play, Garfield commented on playing the role of a young gay boy battling AIDS which reeled him into many controversies and received backlash from the LGBTQ+ community.
The ‘Social Network‘ star is one of the finest Hollywood actors who has always challenged himself with problematic roles. His skills and hard work paid off when the actor received the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor for his outstanding performance in the 2007 film ‘Boy A’. In 2022 Garfield was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role as a Mormon detective in a miniseries ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’. But what was the controversy with his “I am a gay man” statement?
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Andrew Garfield’s “I Am A Gay Man” Controversy
In 2017 Andrew Garfield played the role of a gay man in Tony Kushner’s play ‘Angles‘ in America at the National Theatre in London. The Award-winning play was based on his character of a gay man battling the reality of AIDS during the height of the 1980s crisis that killed hundreds of people belonging to the gay community.
Many celebrities have taken a step back in commenting upon such issues to avoid further controversies, but Andrew Garfield took pride in his role as a gay man and opened up about prepping for the role. After dating Emma Watson, Garfield was asked about his sexuality, and he identified himself as heterosexual but stated “I have an openness to any impulses that may arise within me at any time”.
Even in a recent interview with Out magazine, Garfield explained that while he has previously identified as straight, he now views his sexuality from a more flexible perspective.
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Why LGBTQ Community Slammed Andrew Garfield?
During a Q-and-A panel in 2017 for the play ‘Angles‘ in America, Andrew Garfield confessed that “I am a gay man right now, pretty much, just without the physical act”, for which he received backlash from the LGBTQ community. He also commented, “One of my main concerns, which I feel every day when I do this play, is that, as far as I know, I am not a gay man. Maybe I’ll have an awakening later in my life, which I’m sure will be wonderful and I’ll get to explore that part of the garden, but right now I’m secluded in my area, which is wonderful as well. I adore it, but a big concern was what right do I have to play this wonderful, seminal gay par”.
To prepare for the role, the star spent time conferring with his LGBTQ friends. He said that the play is as devoted to his friends in the gay community as it is to those that passed during the epidemic. Andrew Garfield also turned to an iconic drag queen RuPaul for further guidance. Garfield and friends made their way through every season of the Supermodel of the World’s hit series ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race‘. “My only time off during rehearsals every Sunday I would have eight friends over and we would just watch Ru”, Garfield said.
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