Andrew Garfield has revealed that he was “warned off” working with director Mel Gibson on ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ - the film that has brought the ‘Spiderman’ star his first Oscar nomination.
Andrew told chat show host Graham Norton that Mel’s blemished reputation in Hollywood was “a big thing for me to look at” prior to signing on for the wartime epic.
He explained: “Obviously you hear things and you read things about a dark patch in his life but for me it was about meeting him. All I knew was that I loved him as an actor and as a filmmaker but I wanted to know the man.”
Andrew explained that meeting Mel Gibson, 11 years after his arrest prompted his infamous anti-Semitic rant in a Malibu bar and he was shunned by the rest of Hollywood, put his fears to rest.
“I met him and very quickly I felt very comfortable and happy to work with him. We talked about that period of time in his life and it’s very evident he has done a lot of healing and come through the dark into the light.
“He is a wonderful man and I adore him.”
Andrew’s faith in his director Mel has paid off with his first Oscar nomination for Actor in a Leading Role.
He will compete with Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic) and Denzel Washington (Fences) at the Academy Awards on 26 February.
Andrew appears on The Graham Norton Show tonight, alongside Annette Bening, Asa Butterfield, Harriet Harman and Elbow. The show airs at 10.35pm on BBC One.