“I am a gay man right now just without the physical act – that’s all.” “This is my life outside of this play,” he said. He revealed that he would watch RuPaul’s Drag Race on days off to prepare for the role, and suggested that the show was responsible for the bulk of his research.
I adore it.”īut this is when Garfield’s comments started to get more and more controversial. The Amazing Spider-Man star and Emma Stone’s ex readily admitted that he is not gay, so when he was offered the part he immediately questioned his “right… to play this wonderful gay role,” according to the Gay Times. “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 to my area, which is wonderful as well. Garfield is currently the lead in a London production of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, a critically acclaimed play about the gay community set during the most frightening stage of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. As if gayness needed his approval.Andrew Garfield is facing major criticism after claiming that he is a “gay man right now without the physical act,” and that his research for playing a gay man in a recent role consisted of binge watching RuPaul’s Drag Race. He was overcompensating to show how okay he is with being gay, which in itself is a way one can “other” someone. This is a rare case in which I think he tried too hard to be down -using words like “herstory” and talking about how he could very well be gay in the future -and that led him to saying some stuff that ended up being unintentionally reductive. He cares about being thoughtful, nuanced, and doing right by marginalized groups. It’s clear that Garfield is someone who gives a shit.
If he were playing a Swedish person in a film, I’m sure he wouldn’t say that he prepared by watching The Swedish Chef on The Muppet Show, you know?
It’s about everyday, lived experiences that have nothing to do with sex.
But he was using surface traits based in stereotypes in order for the joke to work, and he is not a “gay man right now.” Being gay isn’t just about the physical act of sex, nor is it about watching a gay icon’s TV show. He was likely trying to sum things up while also trying to be entertaining and funny. All of the “maybe I’ll have an awakening later in life, which I’m sure will be wonderful” stuff? Totally unnecessary, and not even the most uncomfortable thing he wound up saying. He’s straight, and he loves the role, but he was concerned that he might have had no right to play it since he’s not gay. I adore it, but a big concern was what right do I have to play this wonderful gay role?” 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 to my area, which is wonderful as well. His exact words were, “As far as I know, I am not a gay man. I mean, he’s not gay, but he could be, and it wouldn’t be a big deal. According to The Gay Times in the UK, when asked if he used outside research materials and resources, or if he discovered the character strictly in rehearsals, Garfield started by leaning really hard into the idea that he totally could be gay, you know? Because he’s super-chill.