How Andrew Garfield's Latest Movie Role Helped Heal Family Wounds

— -- In his latest film, "99 Homes," star Andrew Garfield plays a single dad trying to win back his childhood home after losing it to foreclosure.

The role hit close to home for the 32-year-old actor who remembers his own parents dealing with some big problems when he was young.

"When I was between the ages of 11 and 17, there was this tension in our house. There was this pressure. I could feel it subliminally even though the conversations were happening behind closed doors," the "Amazing Spider-Man" star told E! News without going into detail about the actual problems.

"So there was some strange healing that I was being called to do in being a part of this film," Garfield said. "And I got a chance to talk to my dad about that specific period of time where I knew what was going on even though they were protecting me and my brother in all ways that they could."

The "Amazing Spider-Man" star said he phoned his dad just before leaving to shoot "99 Homes" in New Orleans.

"We had like a five-hour [conversation] with tears," he told E! "He finally was able to reveal to me what that period of time was, what he learned and what he gained from it. I was finally able to share how tense I was throughout that whole time."

Garfield also experienced what it was like to play a father for the first time.

"It was scary -- really really really scary," he admitted. "I was really ill-prepared and then I realized, 'Oh, yes, that's fatherhood.'"