Andrew Garfield worked his way through a self-proclaimed “midlife crisis” thanks to his upcoming rom-dram, We Live in Time, in which he stars alongside co-star Florence Pugh. Coming on the heels of its world premiere earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Garfield is now promoting the tear-jerking love story in Spain at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival. And while speaking about the film on Saturday (September 28), Garfield admitted facing a very real midlife crisis (per Variety):
“When I read [the screenplay], I was in deep contemplation of the meaning of life. As always, but maybe more pronounced in that moment. I was thinking about life, death, love, meaning, time… standing at the age of 39 and 40, kind of a midlife crisis, looking forward, looking backward, looking exactly where I am, and thinking, ‘What now?’”
The meet-cute moment from We Live in Time is rather violent when stacked up against other romantic movies. Tobias (Garfield) is introduced to Almut (Pugh) when the latter accidentally runs over him with her car! It’s only later when a heavily bandaged and injured Tobias regains consciousness and ends up meeting the love of his life after she literally swept him off his feet. “I knew I wanted to do it,” Garfield reveals in the same discussion. “It [the meet-cute] felt like the central action sequence, the Indiana Jones action sequence of this film.”
We Live in Time Is About Love, Not Heroes
Teaming Andrew Garfield (tick, tick… BOOM!, Hacksaw Ridge) up with Florence Pugh (Little Women), given they’re both not only Academy Award nominees, but they are two of the most sought-after young talents in Hollywood today was a no-brainer. Undoubtedly, though, Garfield will always be connected to the role of Spider-Man in most fans’ minds.
After all, Garfield has portrayed the beloved webslinger in three films since 2012. However, the actor is quite hesitant to use the word “hero” where the characters in his new film, We Live in Time, are concerned — as the lovers must face the sheer terror of cancer. Garfield elaborated during the same sit-down at the San Sebastián Film Festival (below):
“I struggle with that word right now in our culture. Anyone in my life who has been through something similar to what Tobias [Garfield] and Almut [Pugh] go through would reject the idea of being heroic. People in my family and close friends who have been through things of the most horrific nature, the kind of things where you have to wonder if the universe has any justice in it, those moments where you think ‘What is the setup here and how am I supposed to carry on?’ The ones that do find a way to carry on, would reject outright the idea of being heroic. It’s necessity.”
Garfield continued by saying in the same interview (below):
“What I love about these two people is that they represent this strange, mysterious, undying, inexplicable want to live in the face of the most horrific heartache and loss. And how we, as human beings, find that strength, that want, that little flame of longing to live over and over and over again. There are probably people in this room going through something not dissimilar from these characters, facing death and choosing to live anyway. I find that remarkable.”
We Live in Time opens in limited release on October 11. And be sure to check out MovieWeb’s We Live in Time review, in which writer Murjani Rawls scores it 3.5 out 5 and declares the film is “a love story that lives off its effective two leads,” Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.