Did you know that before becoming a Hollywood star, Andrew Garfield was on track to become a professional athlete? In a recent interview with Esquire, the Amazing Spider-Man actor revealed details about his early years in England, where he trained under a demanding Russian coach. Though he displayed impressive skills, Andrew’s perspective changed when the coach began sitting on his back to improve his flexibility, making him realise that gymnastics was not for him. At just 12 years old, he made the decision to step away from the sport, marking his first act of rebellion against his father’s strict beliefs that prioritised success over happiness and enjoyment.
Speaking about leaving gymnastics, Andrew said, “This is not a childhood,” and added, this was “the first rebellion against my dad and his value system at the time: success and gold medals above any sense of joy, comfort, or pleasure.”
When Andrew decided to stop gymnastics, his father, Richard Garfield, had already become a successful swimming coach. So, the actor then tried swimming. Even though his dad believed he’s talented in everything, Andrew didn’t feel a connection with swimming as well and decided to quit.
Andrew explained, “It was like this Truman Show feeling where you’re like, ‘I feel there is more and I can’t identify what that more is, but I know it exists, and if it doesn’t exist, I am in big trouble’.”
Interestingly, the Hacksaw Ridge actor tried his hands on different activities, like painting, sculpture and music, but it was his first drama class that made him feel excited. After performing in a high school play, a new drama teacher spoke to Andrew and suggested that he could have a future in acting if he was serious about it. Listening to her teacher’s words, Andrew felt relieved about his future. However, his father did not support this decision.
When Andrew Garfield first shared his desire to study acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, his father, Richard, felt worried about his son’s future. During that time, Andrew’s older brother was a great student and was on the path to becoming a doctor. He was concerned that Andrew might struggle and depend on others when he’ll grow up. For the backup, Richard encouraged his son to enrol in business studies, in case his acting plan didn’t work. Despite his father’s worries, Andrew landed a major role in The Social Network as Eduardo Saverin, the co-founder of Facebook.
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