Sep 2, 2026 · 7 min
Andrew Garfield turns music into an actor’s character toolkit
Testing Andrew Garfield's Music Knowledge
Garfield’s listening history reveals how rhythm, musical purity, and historical memory shape both his performances and his sense of self.
- 1Garfield builds playlists for every character, using Fela Kuti to help develop his Spider-Man performance.
- 2Concerts, college memories, and Nina Simone connect music to formative experiences and difficult conversations about life.
- 3Louis Prima’s exuberance captures Garfield’s ideal way of living: theatrical, generous, rhythmic, and fully engaged.
Don't miss
Garfield explains how Fela Kuti’s music helped him develop the spirit, rhythm, and sound of Spider-Man.
The brief
Andrew Garfield traces his musical roots through his father’s Deadhead fandom, Glastonbury memories, and the joyful movement he hears in Parcels.
He links George Michael, Cat Stevens, Parcels, and Bill Withers through a shared sense of musical purity and generosity, then turns to Nina Simone and Jeff Buckley.
Garfield describes writing deliberately bad French hip-hop at university, where music also became a way to process intense memories and conversations about life.
For every role, Garfield builds a character playlist; while developing Spider-Man, Fela Kuti supplied the spirit, rhythm, and sound he needed.
Discussing The Uprising, he turns to old English folk music, history, and communal resistance before naming Louis Prima’s exuberance as his model for living.
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