Andrew Garfield is pretty chilled out about awards nominations – having starred in one of the top 10 highest-earning films of all time, Spider-Man means he doesn’t exactly need to fight for appreciation.
The two-time Academy Award-nominated actor is up for an Oscar for best actor for his Netflix film Tick, Tick… Boom! The film covers the life and work of the US writer and composer Jonathan Larson, who wrote the iconic musical Rent but died suddenly at 35 —never getting to see its incredible global success.
There was also a mega campaign to get Spider-Man: No Way Home — in which he co-starred with current Spidey star Tom Holland and another previous lead, Tobey Maguire — nominated for Best Picture at the often superhero-unfriendly Oscars. But It didn’t bear fruit.
Andrew told the Daily Telegraph: “I mean, it’s the sixth biggest movie in the history of movies. Making a film that a gajillion people want to see together is a miracle. Making a film that an awarding body loves is also a miracle. Sometimes those miracles overlap, and sometimes they don’t. But I personally feel pretty satisfied with the audience response. I think that’s plenty.”
Did he have any concerns about returning to the role of Peter Parker at the age of 38? “Being a 38-year-old in spandex was the main fear. So yes, I was dealing with that.”
While Andrew’s acclaimed performance in Tick, Tick... Boom! has been recognized in the US, it wasn’t considered strong enough to earn him a nod at last weekend’s Bafta. Olivia Colman suffered a similar fate, for her role in The Lost Daughter. Not that it concerns him unduly.
“Honestly, how people vote is none of my business,” he said. “I think they acknowledged some great people… But do I think Olivia Colman gave one of the best performances of the year? Yes, I do.”
Tick, Tick... Boom!, currently screening on Netflix, was the first film he made after his mother, Lynn, died from cancer in 2019 and he says that she wasn’t exactly worked up about awards either, despite being his No 1 fan.
“She was the embodiment of unconditional love,” he said. “Of course, she was proud of the career achievements I was proud of. But if I’d grown up to be a murderer, she would have shown up at the prison with chocolate chip cookies every week.”
