Actor Andrew Garfield is now trying to clarify his earlier statement after the backlash that ensued following his comments that he's currently a gay man "without the physical act."
According to the Gay Times, during an discussion about his upcoming film Angels in America and the stage version of the story, Garfield was asked by an audience member what he'd been doing to prepare for and perform the role of a gay, HIV-positive man, Prior Walter, while Garfield himself identifies as straight. "My only time off during rehearsals – every Sunday I would have eight friends over and we would just watch [RuPaul]," he responded jokingly. "This is my life outside of this play. I am a gay man right now just without the physical act – that’s all."
He also commented on his own sexual orientation and sexuality. "As far as I know, I am not a gay man,” he explained. “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?"
Soon after the statements made their way around the internet, Garfield faced criticisms from the LGBTQ community regarding queer-baiting, not owning up to his straight, white male privilege and joking that watching RuPaul's Drag Race gave him an understanding of LGBTQ culture, especially because he doesn't assume any of the risks or other aspects of what it means to be queer.
Now, Garfield says his words have been taken entirely out of context. "That's of course not what I meant at all," he told the BBC's Newsbeat. "That discussion was about this play and how deeply grateful I am that I get to work on something so profound. It's a love letter to the LGBTQ community. We were talking about, 'How do you prepare for something so important and so big?' and I was basically saying, 'I dive in as fully as I possibly can.'"
He also commented that he'd felt "welcomed" by the LGBTQ community and wanted to serve them as long as he could. "The intention [in my comments] was to speak to that, speak to my desire to play this part to the best of my ability and to fully immerse myself in a culture that I adore," he said. He didn't, however, comment on several specific criticisms people made, like queer-baiting, people who identify as LGBTQ taking on LGBTQ roles or what it means to engage with LGBTQ culture.
Related: What Andrew Garfield Got WRONG When He Said He's Living Like a Gay Man
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