Andrew Garfield read the script for 'We Live in Time' amid a 'mid-life crisis'

For Andrew Garfieldthe script for We live in time He couldn't have come at a more perfect time in his life.

“When I read [the script]I was immersed in deep reflections on the meaning of life. As always, but perhaps even more pronounced in this moment,” Garfield, 41, said at a San Sebastian Film Festival press conference on Saturday, September 28. “I thought about life, death, love, meaning and time. … being 39 and 40 years old, kind of having a mid-life crisis, looking forward, looking back, looking exactly where I am and thinking, 'What now?'”

“This script came in and it was like I wrote it from that place,” he continued. Garfield recalled having to ask himself, 'How did I write this so well?'” I'm not a writer.'”

Garfield noted that he and playwright Nick Payne had similar thoughts: “There must be something to these things, something universal in this story.”

We live in time follows the love story of the couple Tobias (Garfield) and Almut (Florence Pugh), who are brought together by a chance encounter and learn to cherish moments while also dealing with parenthood and a medical diagnosis.

Garfield explained Saturday that he knew he was ready for the film after reading a scene that involved an ambulance, traffic and a gas station toilet. “It felt like the central action sequence, the Indiana Jones action sequence of this film,” he said.

During the press conference, Garfield was asked a question that portrayed him and Pugh's characters as heroes. For his part, Garfield noted that he is “struggling.”[s] with that word in our culture right now.”

“Anyone in my life who has gone through something similar to what Tobias and Almut have gone through would reject the idea of ​​being heroic,” he explained. “People in my family and close friends who have been through things of the most horrific nature, things that make you wonder if the universe is justified, those moments where you think, 'How is everything here set up and how?' should I continue?' Those who find a way to move on would strongly reject the idea of ​​being heroic. It’s a necessity.”

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He continued: “What I love about these two people is that they represent this strange, mysterious, undying, inexplicable desire to live in the face of the most terrible grief and loss.” And how we as humans have this power, this desire, this find a small flame of longing to live again and again. There are probably people in this room who are going through something not unlike these characters, who are facing death and still choosing to live. I find that remarkable.”

When Garfield first read the script, he stated that he did not view the film as a romantic drama. “I thought, 'This is a great story about death,'” he explained. “It's really fearless and funny and tries to explore some of the mystery of what it means to fall in love, get married and have a child with someone.”

We live in time hits US cinemas on October 11th.