Andrew Garfield Reacts to Second Oscar Nom for ‘Tick, Tick … Boom!’: “Created a Howl in My Soul”

Andrew Garfield landed the second Oscar nomination of his career on Tuesday, following up 2017’s Hacksaw Ridge nod with recognition for his performance as playwright Jonathan Larson in Tick, Tick … Boom! Garfield joins a best actor field that includes Will Smith (King Richard), Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog) and Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth).

Following the early morning announcement, Garfield spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about watching the nominations live for the first time, sharing this nod with the Tick, Tick … Boom! team — including director Lin-Manuel Miranda — and Spider-Man: No Way Home’s best picture snub.

What was your morning like finding out about the nomination, were you watching live? 

I’ve never done that before, I’ve never set an alarm and waited for the thing to happen, and I did this morning and it was really stressful. It was very, very nerve-racking, and a lovely wake-up for sure. I was just kind of like, laying in bed and pitch black and trying to be quiet for the neighbors and that. It was cool to see a bunch of my friends getting nominated and films that I love and then, of course, there was a moment where they said my name for the thing, and that obviously kind of created a howl in my soul and my friends and my family. We’re all very, very excited, very, very happy, very, very grateful — mostly just grateful that maybe this is an indication that I get to keep on making things that I like to make and acting and telling stories.

Have you talked to Lin-Manuel Miranda this morning? 

We’ve been texting, I went back to sleep, so I have a lot of messages to go over. We’ve been texting back and forth. I’m very excited and proud of him for his nomination for Encanto but also know this nomination that I got for Jon, it’s his, it’s his as much as it is mine. This project doesn’t exist without Lin, Lin doesn’t exist without Jonathan Larson, and this project doesn’t exist without producers Julie Oh and Celia Costas and Julie Larson and Netflix. I’m just representing the film; I’m representing all these incredible artists — Robin de Jesus and Alex Shipp and Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry, the whole cast. I feel like we’ve all been honored through this morning, it’s an all for one, one for all kind of thing. It’s that great theater community that you only really get when you’re making a play, and so we’re all just kind of one unit. We’ve all been honored this morning in that way.

It’s been five years since your first best actor nom. What does it mean to you to be recognized for this one and telling Jonathan Larson’s story? 

It’s really hard to actually put into words, truthfully, because ultimately I think in quiet moments or moments of reflection or moments of fear, I remember that all I really need in my life is to make theater for an audience of 10 and I’d be happy — that’s the truth. And it’s deeply reassuring to have that as a kind of foundation site that I know that if everything else fell away, and I can just tell stories onstage in a tiny theater or even just on the street, I’d find satisfaction, that’s enough. This movie is kind of that on the grandest scale possible. It’s a story that’s obviously so deeply moving and so deeply important and teaches us how to live and reminds us who we are and what matters and what doesn’t. It’s a call to life, it’s a call to community, it’s a call to love, it’s what Jonathan Larson was singing for.

I remember the first SAG screening me and Lin went into with the cast, and we were just so overwhelmed by the response. So it’s kind of this odd thing where it’s enough just to do the thing, and then a morning like this happens and you kind of don’t know what to do with yourself. I was just like laying in bed just trying to breathe and just trying to fully absorb it, and let it in because these moments are so rare. And who am I to turn away from it? It’s just an honor, and I’ve been watching this award ceremony since I was a kid, probably secretly, unconsciously, fantasizing that I would manage to go. And on behalf of Jon, to go on behalf of Jon Larson’s family and everyone that loves him and this whole kind of crew of creative people, this whole family of artists that we’ve made his story come to life in this way. I feel very, very lucky, very, very grateful and happy.

What do you think about your other film this year, Spider-Man: No Way Home, not being nominated for best picture despite being the biggest movie of the year?

I’m not able to comment on that, particularly. I really love that movie and I really love Amy [Pascal] and Jon Watts and Kevin [Feige] and, obviously Tom [Holland], and Zendaya and Jacob [Batalon] and Tobey [Maguire] and all the cast. That movie has been a kind of juggernaut of proportions that I don’t think any of us really expected. I can only speak for myself and I just feel grateful to be a part of something that is keeping cinemas alive right now, keeping cinemas full, and helping in that regard and making sure that the live experience or the communal experience of going to the movies remains intact. It’s very, very cool to see audiences still deeply longing for the thing that I know that we’re all deeply longing for. I think Spider-Man is obviously one of those movies right now and that’s so cool, and I’m so, so grateful to be a part of that.

Interview edited for length and clarity.