Andrew Garfield

Episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler · September 29, 2026 · 1 h 11 min

Amy Poehler talks with Andrew Garfield about work ethic, grief, method acting, directors he admires, his film The Uprising and playing Roy Horn, with a pre-interview from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Summary

Amy Poehler opened the episode with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who described casting Andrew Garfield in Tick, Tick... Boom! after seeing him on stage, recounted how Garfield learned to sing within a year and out-swam a stunt double, and supplied a question about Garfield's hidden talents and greatest fears.

In the main conversation, Garfield and Poehler joked about touch as his strongest sense and his love of Munich felt before turning to his work ethic. Garfield linked his drive to his late mother, describing feeling more connected to her after her death, and to growing up in a competitive household with an older brother who is a doctor. He recalled his first film with Robert Redford, praising Redford's generosity and the origins of Sundance, and argued that method acting has been mischaracterized and can be practiced generously without disrupting cast and crew, citing Sidney Lumet's idea of personal revelation on camera. He described relishing David Fincher's many takes on The Social Network, while Poehler said she prefers positive reinforcement.

The pair discussed hosting Saturday Night Live, the Spider-Man actors' brotherhood, and Sally Field, whom Garfield presented with a SAG lifetime achievement award. Answering Miranda's question, Garfield said becoming a father scares him most and recounted freezing while playing basketball with Woody Harrelson. He described Paul Greengrass's The Uprising, about the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, and his upcoming Apple TV series in which he plays Roy Horn opposite Jude Law's Siegfried. Poehler closed by recommending Places in the Heart.

Chapters

Linked moment · 0:05Skip to 0:05 using a listen link in the info box.
0:05
Lin-Manuel Miranda on Andrew Garfield
Miranda discusses his Warriors workshop, casting Garfield in Tick, Tick... Boom! and poses a question about his hidden talents and fears.
10:34
Senses and Munich felt
Garfield names touch as his best sense and talks about his love of felt from Munich, where he shot The Uprising.
15:48
Work ethic and his mother
Poehler probes Garfield's love of hard work, which he connects to his late mother's nature and his sense of her presence after her death.
24:00
Family, competition and games
Garfield talks about his older brother, a competitive upbringing, and both admit to getting too intense playing Werewolf.
26:54
First film with Robert Redford
Garfield recalls working with Redford on his first film, including Redford's lateness, generosity and the origins of Sundance.
32:31
Method acting and personal revelation
Garfield argues method acting is misunderstood and can be generous, citing Sidney Lumet and discussing Tick, Tick... Boom! and grief.
37:09
David Fincher's many takes
Garfield explains why he loved Fincher's repeated takes on The Social Network while Poehler prefers positive reinforcement.
45:11
SNL, Spider-Man and Sally Field
They discuss hosting SNL, the Spider-Man actors' brotherhood and Garfield's admiration for Sally Field.
51:03
Miranda's question: swimming, fatherhood and basketball
Garfield discusses swimming and surfing, says fatherhood is his greatest fear, and recounts freezing while playing basketball with Woody Harrelson.
1:00:10
The Uprising
Garfield describes Paul Greengrass's film about the 1381 Peasants' Revolt and its themes of revolution and power.
1:02:52
Playing Roy Horn
Garfield talks about his obsession with Roy Horn, whom he plays opposite Jude Law in an upcoming Apple TV series.
1:05:57
Farewells and Places in the Heart
Garfield recalls first meeting Poehler, and Poehler recommends the Sally Field film Places in the Heart.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Lin-Manuel Miranda
Miranda said he cast Garfield after seeing him in Angels in America, despite not knowing whether he could sing.
“I didn't know whether he had a musical bone in his body, but it's such an endurance test, that play”
Listen from 6:03 · Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Miranda argued that a theater maker's job is to make rehearsal the most enjoyable place to be.
“your job is to make the most fun room possible so that people choose doing the play over basketball, over debate team”
Listen from 8:03
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Miranda said he discovered during the swimming-pool shoot that Garfield is an exceptional swimmer whose father is a swim instructor.
“I found out Andrew is basically Michael Phelps. Like his dad is a swim instructor”
Listen from 9:15 · Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said that in the months after his mother died he felt more connected to her than when she was alive.
“I felt more connected to her than I ever felt connected to her when she was incarnate, when she was alive”
Listen from 21:47 · Grief
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said Robert Redford's Sundance project grew out of helping a Utah neighbor facing foreclosure.
“It came out of him, I think, helping out his new neighbor in Utah who was about to be foreclosed on”
Listen from 27:56 · Sundance Institute
Amy Poehler
Poehler said she derives self-esteem from doing a job well.
“But the idea of doing a good job still means a lot to me. I know it means a lot to you. I get a lot of self-esteem from work”
Listen from 32:15
Andrew Garfield
Garfield argued that the term method acting has been widely misunderstood.
“I think the term has been massively mischaracterized, misunderstood and co-opted by people that don't know”
Listen from 33:32 · Method acting
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said method-style work can be done generously without disrupting cast and crew.
“I think there's a way of accessing that work and that style of working that doesn't fuck with the rest of the cast”
Listen from 34:10 · Method acting
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said Tick, Tick... Boom! was deeply personal because he made it right after losing his mother.
“But it was very, very personal because I just lost my mom and we were making this movie and it's about the shortness of life”
Listen from 36:28 · Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said he loves David Fincher's many takes because he wants to leave nothing unspent.
“Because I love acting and I love hard work and I love sports and I love not going home with anything left to give”
Listen from 37:51 · The Social Network
Andrew Garfield
Garfield praised director Paul Greengrass as a supportive leader on The Uprising.
“Paul Greengrass on the film The Uprising is like that. He's an incredible team captain”
Listen from 40:36 · The Uprising (film)
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said the best SNL episodes are those in which the host supports the cast.
“But again, like service, I think the best episodes are when the host supports the cast”
Listen from 46:08 · Saturday Night Live
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said making the film that united the three Spider-Man actors created a lasting brotherhood.
“doing the one where we're all together really cemented some kind of weird brotherhood that was just beautiful”
Listen from 46:59 · Spider-Man: No Way Home
Andrew Garfield
Garfield called presenting Sally Field with a SAG lifetime achievement award a highlight of his life.
“I think one of the great highlights and privileges of my life was to be able to give her a Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAG Awards”
Listen from 50:09
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said becoming a father scares him and would be the most important thing he ever does.
“Well, I mean, I think that would be the biggest, most important thing I ever probably do”
Listen from 55:36 · Fatherhood
Amy Poehler
Poehler theorized that the worst basketball injuries happen to men in their forties.
“I think the worst injuries happen with men in their 40s when they play basketball”
Listen from 57:30
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said The Uprising raises questions about whether violence is necessary in revolution.
“it brings up really interesting questions about revolution, about violence in revolution, whether it's needed, whether it's not”
Listen from 1:01:18 · The Uprising (film)
Andrew Garfield
Garfield explained that in 1381 the king's word was treated literally as divine command.
“So anything that the king uttered was literally treated like it was sent from heaven above”
Listen from 1:02:05 · Peasants' Revolt
Andrew Garfield
Garfield said he plays Roy Horn in an upcoming Apple TV series and has been watching footage of him.
“I've been watching a lot of Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy fame because I play Roy Horn in this upcoming Apple TV show”
Listen from 1:03:33 · Siegfried & Roy
Amy Poehler
Poehler recommended the Sally Field film Places in the Heart as an underappreciated favorite.
“check out a movie called Places in the Heart with sally field and danny glover and a young john malkovich”
Listen from 1:07:24 · Places in the Heart

People

In the conversation

Amy PoehlerAmerican actress, comedian and podcast host, formerly of Saturday Night Live
Andrew GarfieldBritish-American film and stage actor
Lin-Manuel MirandaCreator of the musical Hamilton

Discussed

Robert RedfordAmerican actor and director, founder of the Sundance Institute
David FincherAmerican film director of The Social Network
Sally FieldAmerican actress
Paul GreengrassBritish film director of The Uprising
Woody HarrelsonAmerican actor who took over a train car during a Subway Takes shoot
Sidney LumetAmerican film director
Paul NewmanAmerican actor
Roy HornGerman-American illusionist of Siegfried & Roy
Jude LawEnglish actor playing Siegfried Fischbacher
Jonathan LarsonAmerican composer whose life is depicted in Tick, Tick... Boom!
Tom HollandEnglish actor cast as Telemachus
Richard II of EnglandEnglish king who faced the Peasants' Revolt at age 14
Peter FalkAmerican actor who played Columbo
Meryl StreepAmerican actress who declined to co-chair the Met Gala
Cole EscolaAmerican comedian and playwright, previous Good Hang guest

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From the publisher

Andrew Garfield is a real tenderoni. Amy hangs with the movie star and talks about why Munich has the best felt, getting too intense while playing Werewolf, and whether or not he has long arms.Host: Amy PoehlerGuests: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Andrew GarfieldExecutive Producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-BermanFor Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, and supervising producer Joel LovellFor The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson, Belle Roman, and Aleya Zenieris; lighting director Caroline Jannace; audio producer Kaya McMullen; social producer Bridget Geerlings; video editor Drew van Steenbergen; and bookers Kat Spillane and Paige GarbariniOriginal Music: Amy Miles Visit uber.com/safety to learn more. Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://Allstate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 30, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Film Interviews·Comedy Interviews·Performing Arts