--- title: Andrew Garfield Says He's Gay Without the Physical Act description: Andrew Garfield has come under fire for controversial comments he reportedly made about his sexuality during a NT Platform discussion. canonical: https://time.com/4847509/andrew-garfield-gay-controversy/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-06T19:07:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:45:10.768Z og:title: Andrew Garfield Said He's Gay - Just Without the Physical Act og:description: People are not happy with his latest remarks og:url: https://time.com/4847509/andrew-garfield-gay-controversy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt367c05a94f2eee57/6988d4b0196cf4c065040eb8/andrew-garfield-gay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: "Hacksaw Ridge" Screening - VIP Arrivals og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Andrew Garfield Said He's Gay - Just Without the Physical Act twitter:description: People are not happy with his latest remarks twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt367c05a94f2eee57/6988d4b0196cf4c065040eb8/andrew-garfield-gay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Andrew Garfield Facing Backlash for Saying He's Gay 'Without the Physical Act'  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jul 6, 2017 7:07 PM CUT  Andrew Garfield attends the screening of 'Hacksaw Ridge' at Picturehouse Central on January 18, 2017 in London, England. Andrew Garfield attends the screening of 'Hacksaw Ridge' at Picturehouse Central on January 18, 2017 in London, England.Dave J Hogan/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jul 6, 2017 7:07 PM CUT [Andrew Garfield](http://motto.time.com/4633551/andrew-garfield-emma-stone-success/ "undefined") has come under fire for controversial comments he reportedly made about his sexuality during a wide-ranging [NT Platform discussion](http://people.com/theater/andrew-garfield-angels-in-america-gay/ "undefined") Monday. While answering questions about his role in the ongoing London production of _Angels in America_, the 33-year-old actor allegedly stated that he is _“_a gay man right now, just without the physical act – that’s all,” according to Britain’s [_Gay Times_ magazine](http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/78488/andrew-garfield-refuses-to-rule-out-same-sex-relationship-during-revealing-angels-in-america-discussion/ "undefined"). Garfield plays Prior Walter — a young gay man living with AIDS in 1980s New York City — in the revival of the Tony Kushner play, a part he said he prepared for by watching _RuPaul_‘s _Drag Race_. “My only time off during rehearsals – every Sunday — I would have eight friends over and we would just watch Ru,” he said. The _Amazing Spider-Man_ alum also spoke about being unsure he was right for the role. “As far as I know, I am not a gay man,” he said. “Maybe I’ll have an awakening later in my life, which I’m sure will be wonderful and I’ll get to explore that part of the garden, but right now I’m secluded to my area, which is wonderful as well. I adore it, but a big concern was what right do I have to play this wonderful gay role?” The exact tone of Garfield’s remarks is unclear, but following the panel, some took to Twitter to criticize the actor’s comments. > [](https://twitter.com/hamishsteele/status/882658941171367936) > [](https://twitter.com/thescottevans/status/882756348487712768) > [](https://twitter.com/RachelLeishman/status/882834969634189312) > [](https://twitter.com/broxbeeble/status/882782862306627584) > [](https://twitter.com/thefilmviews/status/882802633274253312) > [](https://twitter.com/zaynscoweyelash/status/882933833099816961) > [](https://twitter.com/erikjdavis/status/882934514057695233) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4847509/andrew-garfield-gay-controversy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4847509/andrew-garfield-gay-controversy/"},"headline":"Andrew Garfield Facing Backlash for Saying He's Gay 'Without the Physical Act'","datePublished":"2017-07-06T19:07:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:45:10.768Z","description":"\"As far as I know, I am not a gay man\"","url":"https://time.com/4847509/andrew-garfield-gay-controversy/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities","Andrew Garfield"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt367c05a94f2eee57/6988d4b0196cf4c065040eb8/andrew-garfield-gay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt367c05a94f2eee57/6988d4b0196cf4c065040eb8/andrew-garfield-gay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"\"Hacksaw Ridge\" Screening - VIP Arrivals","caption":"Andrew Garfield attends the screening of 'Hacksaw Ridge' at Picturehouse Central on January 18, 2017 in London, England.","creditText":"Dave J Hogan/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4847509/andrew-garfield-gay-controversy/","name":"Andrew Garfield Facing Backlash for Saying He's Gay 'Without the Physical Act'"}}]}] ```