Andrew Garfield, best known as The Amazing Spider-Man, has revealed how preparing to play a Jesuit priest in Martin Scorsese's new film, Silence, brought him closer to Jesus.
The actor, who recently appeared in Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge, spent a year preparing for the role under the mentorship of real-life Jesuit priest Father James Martin.
And it has proved to be a significant experience for Garfield, who told The Guardian that he had "no relationship" to Jesus before making the film. In his own words, he was "pantheist , agnostic, occasionally atheist and a little bit Jewish, but mostly confused."
Speaking of Jesus, Garfield said: "He was just the frontman for Christianity."
Silence, which also stars Liam Neeson, tells the story of two 17th century Jesuit priests in search of their mentor. It premiered at the Vatican on November 29 to mixed reviews.
Although Garfield is working out his "very specific relationship with Jesus," one thing he is sure about is that he strongly dislikes President-elect Donald Trump's Bible-waving.
"It's all a ruse. How can that not be clear to everybody? When the Pope says that Jesus Christ was about building bridges, not building walls. And then Donald Trump bashes the Pope – in effect, he bashes Jesus Christ," he said.
Garfield's role in Silence comes hot on the heels of his critically acclaimed performance in Hacksaw Ridge. In the film, the first to be directed by Gibson in a decade, he plays another faith-driven role, portraying conscientious objector Desmond Doss who refused to carry a weapon into the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 because of his strong religious beliefs. After enduring bullying and ridicule from his fellow troops, Doss went on to save the lives of 75 men.
His next projects are just as weighty. In the New Year, Garfield will spend time at the National Theater in London playing a HIV-positive man who is visited by angels, before starting work on Andy Serkis's biopic Breathe, playing a man who was left paralyzed by polio at the age of 28.
