Spider-Man: No Way Home's Andrew Garfield Addresses Huge Misconception About Method Acting

Method acting remains a hot topic in Hollywood, and many actors have been openly raising their concerns about such a method that could possibly result in inappropriate behavior on set. However, according to Spider-Man: No Way Home's Andrew Garfield, method acting could still be an effective approach while "being a normal human being" on set.

Andrew Garfield Comes Forward as a Method Actor

There is no doubt that Andrew Garfield is one of the most promising actors in Hollywood, with notable performances in Netlfix's tick, tick...BOOM! and Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge, where he won an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Just recently, Garfield once again donned the Spider-Man costume in MCU's box office milestone Spider-Man: No Way Home which the fans unquestionably embraced. But going back to method acting, let's see what he has to say.

In a recent interview with WTF Marc Maron (as reported by Variety), Garfield got candid about his thoughts on method acting, particularly addressing the huge misconception that actors are privileged to display problematic behavior while undergoing method acting. He said:

"There [have] been a lot of misconceptions about what method acting is, I think. People are still acting in that way, and it’s not about being an asshole to everyone on set. It’s actually just about living truthfully under imagined circumstances, and being really nice to the crew simultaneously, and being a normal human being, and being able to drop it when you need to and staying in it when you want to stay in it."

Garfield seemingly shades those actors who are against method acting, saying that they may be clueless about what the concept really is:

"I’m kind of bothered by the misconception, I’m kind of bothered by this idea that ‘method acting is fucking bullshit.’ No, I don’t think you know what method acting is if you’re calling it bullshit, or you just worked with someone who claims to be a method actor who isn’t actually acting the method at all. It’s also very private. I don’t want people to see the fucking pipes of my toilet. I don’t want them to see how I’m making the sausage."

Method Acting: Is It Good or Bad?

To be fair, there were reported instances that some actors may have taken it too far. Some of them were Leonardo DiCaprio injuring himself during a scene in Django: Unchained (2012), Christian Bale, who placed his health at risk after eating an apple and a can of tuna a day to prepare for his role in The Machinist (2005), and Heath Ledger in his iconic role as the Joker in The Dark Knight, where he locked himself in a hotel room for a month and experimented with how he would play his villainous character.

Yes, method acting might actually be needed for a certain role. But just like what Garfield uttered, this doesn't give actors to be completely disrespectful on the set. Thankfully, despite the backlash that method acting is currently facing, Garfield still encourages method acting, as long as it is done respectably.

Andrew Garfield returns as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home - The More Fun Stuff Version, screening in selected theaters on September 2.

Also read: Former Marvel Attorney Hints Andrew Garfield's Return in The Amazing Spider-Man 3