Andrew Garfield reveals who he was texting after the Oscars slap: 'I feel really bad about that'
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Apparent Oscars micro-correspondent (and star of one of the most viral memes from the 94th Academy Awards) Andrew Garfield has finally revealed who he was sending textual dispatches to in that viral image of him using his phone during the broadcast.
"I feel so bad, because Kevin Costner is introducing the director nominees in the most beautiful and elegant way, and I'm like, 'There's no way I'm going to be on camera during this,'" Garfield said on Thursday's episode of The View, adding that the moment occurred as the room was still settling in after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage because of a joke the comedian made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
"Everyone is texting me, asking me what the vibe in the room is, and at that moment my friends took priority over Kevin," Garfield explained. "I feel really bad about that."
ABC Andrew Garfield texting at the Oscars
When pressed for a response on the slap itself — which led Smith to resign from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the organization to ban him from attending the Oscars for 10 years — Garfield declined to comment, expressing disinterest in adding his voice to the topic when so many others have already spoken about it.
The star of FX on Hulu's Under the Banner of Heaven crime drama also addressed recent headlines that suggested he's taking a lengthy break from acting following his second Oscar nod for Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tick, Tick... Boom! earlier this year.
Andrew Garfield tells #TheView that headlines saying he's taking a break from acting were taken out of context: "People make a story out of nothing."
"I've been loving the work I've been doing but also, you know, I need to take a month or so ... I'm not retiring!" pic.twitter.com/UeymHXhTUK— The View (@TheView) April 29, 2022
"I don't know where that came from — I'm just having a holiday," he clarified. "I just said I'm going to rest — have, like, a holiday — and I think people just make a story out of nothing. I've been working hard, and I've been loving the work I've been doing, but also I need to take a month or so. A month of a break. I'm not retiring."
In an interview with EW pegged to his new series, Garfield said Heaven's source material ignited a passion for bringing the material to the small screen.
"I read the book over 10 years ago, and I just loved it," Garfield said. "I felt riveted and compelled, and I just find the themes and subject matter so fascinating: how fundamentalism and extremism can lead to enabling men to do horrific acts of violent evil in the name of God and love, and they avoid blaming their own egocentric desire. The delusion was just so fascinating to me."
Under the Banner of Heaven is now streaming on FX on Hulu. Watch a portion of Garfield's appearance on The View above.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
