TIME has released "The 100 Most Influential People of 2022" list, and actor Andrew Garfield has made his way onto it. With a wide range of characters and acting skills under his belt, it comes as a surprise to what seems like very few.
Written by director Martin Scorsese, the article defines Garfield as "a remarkable artist, one of the greats of his generation." From portraying composer Jonathan Larson in the Netflix film tick, tick...BOOM! to reprising his most well-known role as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Garfield has had what many would presume to be a successful year.
Scorsese's words sing Garfield's praises throughout the article. "Once we started work, I understood that Andrew could get to any emotional level the story called for, sometimes immediately. I developed a sense of confidence and trust in him that I’ve found all too rarely." The Oscar-winning director got to work with Garfield on his adaptation of Silence, where the actor played the character Rodrigues. Scorsese stated that when Garfield entered the audition, he "could see right away that he understood the character."
Earlier this year, Garfield was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Jonathan Larson in tick, tick...BOOM! While he did not win the award, Garfield gained much more from the film itself. Prior to the production of the film in 2019, Garfield lost his mother to pancreatic cancer. However, the actor found some comfort in the film and drew parallels between his late mother and Larson himself. "Both John and my mother were artists," Garfield said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. "And they were warriors for art. They knew the power of art, and they knew the power of leaving the world in a slightly more beautiful state than when they found it."
A few fellow actors also made TIME's 100 Most Influential People, such as Simu Liu, Zoë Kravitz, Zendaya, and Quinta Brunson. Others on the list include prominent political figures, such as Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. While many of this year's influential figures are newcomers, many veterans have returned to the list, such as Oprah Winfrey, Mila Kunis, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Channing Tatum.
While Garfield has announced that he is taking a break from acting, following his most recent role as Detective Jeb Pyre in Hulu's Under The Banner of Heaven, some wonder if his new status as one of the most influential people of 2022 will change that. According to his IMDb page, he is already set to star in the upcoming TV miniseries Brideshead Revisited alongside actors Joe Alwyn, Cate Blanchett, and Rooney Mara. Garfield, however, has not announced any upcoming projects. While many fans are hoping for an Amazing Spider-Man 3, neither Sony nor Garfield have confirmed that they have anything in the works.
Source: TIME, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert