Why Andrew Garfield was worried about playing Prior in 'Angels in America'
The "Angels in America" star will reprise his role on Broadway this spring.
— -- When Andrew Garfield took on one of the most iconic gay characters, Prior Walter in last year’s British stage production of "Angels in America," the actor worried that he wasn't right for the role.
"Up until this point, I’ve only been sexually attracted to women," the "Amazing Spider-Man" star recently told Out magazine. "My stance toward life, though, is that I always try to surrender to the mystery of not being in charge. I think most people -- we’re intrinsically trying to control our experience here, and manage it, and put walls around what we are and who we are. I want to know as much of the garden as possible before I pass -- I have an openness to any impulses that may arise within me at any time."
He added, "But, if I were to identify, I would identify as heterosexual, and being someone who identifies that way, and who’s taking on this seminal role, my scariest thought was, 'Am I allowed to do this?'"
Not only was he allowed, he was lauded for his performance in London's National Theatre production last year.
Still, while prepping for the role, Garfield caught flak for saying he was "a gay man ... without the physical act." He told Out the quote was taken out of context.
"I think part of what I was trying to say was about inclusion, and about that openness to my impulses," he said.
The "Hacksaw Ridge" star, 34, showed just how open he is when a video of his donning a wig and lip-syncing to Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman" at a London drag show went viral.
Now Garfield is preparing to reprise his role as Prior, alongside Nathan Lane as Roy Cohn, when "Angels in America" returns to Broadway this spring after its 1993 debut there.
For the actor, who was first exposed to Tony Kushner's Pulitzer-Prize winning opus watching the HBO miniseries adaptation while a drama school student, it's an opportunity, he said, "to be a part of the world spinning forward as much as anyone else."
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Now Garfield is preparing to reprise his role as Prior, alongside Nathan Lane as Roy Cohn, when "Angels in America" returns to Broadway this spring after its 1993 debut there.
For the actor, who was first exposed to Tony Kushner's Pulitzer-Prize winning opus watching the HBO miniseries adaptation while a drama school student, it's an opportunity, he said, "to be a part of the world spinning forward as much as anyone else."