It’s been a banner year for Andrew Garfield. From “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” to “Tick, Tick...Boom!” to “Spider-Man: No Way Home” to the Hulu series “Under the Banner of Heaven,” which premiered Thursday, Garfield has been going nonstop.
And he’s ready for a break.
“I’m going to rest for a little bit,” Garfield told Variety. “I need to recalibrate and reconsider what I want to do next and who I want to be and just be a bit of a person for awhile. Because as you know, that is a washing machine, that awards season.
“I need to just be a bit ordinary for a while.”
Who inspired Andrew Garfield to take a break from acting?
Garfield’s decision to step out of the limelight comes from a couple of places. The actor said he was inspired by Simone Biles, who shocked sports fans across the world last year when she dropped out of Olympic competitions to focus on her personal and mental well-being.
“I’m very inspired by her saying, ‘Nope, I’m not going to do that vault. I’m going to endanger myself if I vault today,’” Garfield told People. “I find that really an incredible example.”
He also cited rapper Kendrick Lamar as an inspiration, noting how the artist, who is releasing an album next month, had a five-year break in between producing albums.
“I really admire anyone who can forego the temptation of having to be always on the up and up,” Garfield told People. “Someone who can really be on their own rhythm, bang to the beat of their own drum.”
What will Andrew Garfield do during his acting break?
At the moment, Garfield — who earned his second Academy Award nomination for “Tick, Tick...Boom!” — doesn’t have grand plans for his break from acting.
“Even getting on a plane right now feels like too much,” he told People. “I kind of want to lay down and just think and not think and watch other people’s work ... and listen to music and be with friends and eat burgers, you know, just kind of be a person.”
It’s safe to say Garfield — who went viral at the Oscars for snacking on an In-N-Out cheeseburger during the ceremony — will stay true to his word.
“I have to kind of refill the well so that I can carry on authentically, carry on without it feeling like I have to keep up with the Joneses in some way,” he added, noting that he recognizes it’s a “privilege” that he even has the luxury of taking time off. “I’m actually really happy and excited to be very quiet and very still and take some time to just be.”
The first two episodes of “Under the Banner of Heaven” are now streaming on Hulu.