For the rest of his career, Andrew Garfield will carry a label of “former Spider-Man actor.” This despite the fact that he was brilliant in David Fincher’s Facebook drama The Social Network, earned an Oscar nomination for Mel Gibson’s pacifist war-time thriller Hacksaw Ridge, and has two movies coming out this year that show very different sides of the actor. While doing press for one of them, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, I did make a connection between his character, the televangelist Jim Bakker, and a moment in Garfield’s career when he reached out and emotionally connected with a large “congregation” of fans.
With Jim, I think it’s the same thing. Jim feels like he is an advocate for Jesus. An advocate for goodness. An advocate for community, and an advocate for joy through Christianity. And so, he really is in touch with a sense of purpose and a longing to please his Father in the sky.
Andrew Garfield went on to praise Jim Bakker’s ability to create a religious empire in the South through his conviction, and convincing personality. Together with his wife Tammy Faye Bakker (played by Jessica Chastain), the two formed a televangelist network that reached millions -- and earned millions of dollars for their church, and for themselves. Back to that Spider-Man moment. If you’ve never seen it before, it’s Andrew Garfield’s first public steps as the wall crawler. And it really is a magical moment of spontaneity. Enjoy it now:
Remembering that moment, and looking back on it fondly, Andrew Garfield told CinemaBlend:
That was one of the most magical moments I ever had, was being able to speak from my heart to a room full of people that felt a part of, and I always have. So thank you for mentioning that. It’s one of the great memories… I’ve never watched the video back, because I just wanted the pure experience to remain. Because it was one of the most pure experiences I’ve ever had in terms of connecting with a group of people that I felt connected to. So it was very cool.
You will be able to see what Andrew Garfield brought to the role of Jim Bakker when Michael Showalter’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye opens in theaters on September 17.
