After appearing in Under the Banner of Heaven, Andrew Garfield has announced that he would be taking a sabbatical from acting. With his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man, Garfield went on to become one of the most famous actors working today, after gaining significant critical praise for his portrayal in 2010s The Social Network. The 38-year-old actor has since reprised his character in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and, most recently, Spider-Man: No Way Home, both from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Under the Banner of Heaven, Garfield’s newest project is a miniseries about a devout investigator whose faith is challenged as he investigates a horrible murder allegedly committed by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The series is directed by David McKenzie and written by Dustin Lance Black and is based on the book Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. Under the Banner of Heaven’s first trailers reveal a dark subject matter and a powerful theatrical performance by Garfield as Detective Pyre. Daisy Edgar-Jones, Rohan Mead, and Taylor St. Pierre co-star with Garfield in the series, which debuts on FX on April 27th.
In a new interview with Variety, Garfield reveals that, following Under the Banner of Heaven, he’s looking to take a break from acting. The actor explains that he just wants to “be a bit ordinary for a while” and claims that he needs time to “recalibrate“ after the stressful awards season and his nomination for Best Actor for tick, tick…BOOM! Check out Garfield’s full comment below:
“I’m going to rest for a little bit. 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 a while. Because as you know, that is a washing machine, that awards season. I need to just be a bit ordinary for a while.”
Between his highly-discussed return as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home and the subsequent fan demands for a third Amazing Spider-Man film, his Oscar campaign for tick, tick…BOOM!, and the intense and often disturbing subject matter in Under the Banner of Heaven, it’s no surprise the actor is looking for a break. Garfield doesn’t reveal exactly how long of a break he’s looking to take but, according to his IMDb, Garfield is still slated to appear in Brideshead Revisited alongside Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchet at some point this year.
Garfield’s comment marks something of a trend for Spider-Man actors of late, with Tom Holland also expressing a desire to take a bit of a break from acting following the shooting of his new show for Apple TV+, The Crowded Room. Garfield has definitely been busy for the last few years and, like Holland, it’s certainly understandable that the actor would want to take a break for a while. It’s not clear exactly when Garfield will be returning to the world of acting or if fans will get their wish for an Amazing Spider-Man 3, but, for now, audiences can catch him in Under the Banner of Heaven, which premieres on Hulu on April 28.