Andrew Garfield is unsure whether the world still needs movie stars.
The British star may be one of the most successful actors in Hollywood but he’s deliberately avoided getting caught up with the lifestyle that fame has to offer.
After previously expressing his dislike of how fame changes the way people act and are treated, Andrew – who famously dated his The Amazing Spider-Man co-star Emma Stone – has made an even bolder statement during a new interview with magazine Time Out London.
“I don’t feel like I’m in that world,” he shrugged. “I have my life, I have my friends, I have my family, I have people who I am sincerely close to. The rest is a vehicle to get stories out there. I think celebrity culture is distancing. It keeps people on pedestals and that doesn’t feel healthy for the culture right now. I don’t know if we need movie stars anymore.”
Despite his comments, the London-born performer does believe people still need films and he points out that features should remind cinemagoers about what’s important and “meaningful” in life, especially in a world in which he feels human life is “so disposable”.
“Look at what is happening in our city with Grenfell Tower: the people who are making decisions value money-saving over keeping people safe,” he sighed of the tragedy in June (17) which saw a 24-story block of flats in west London catch fire in a rapid fashion due to the building’s exterior cladding, causing an estimated 80 deaths and countless injuries. “This is a really sick time in Western civilization, so I’m looking to be a part of feeding an audience and a culture with something that thinks to bring us back together.”
Andrew actively picks roles that are challenging and meaningful to viewers, such as his latest film Breathe. The 34-year-old stars in Andy Serkis’ directorial debut as Robin Cavendish, the real-life polio sufferer who became an advocate for fellow patients and the disabled after being diagnosed aged 28 and outliving his life expectancy.
