Andrew Garfield's Jesus Movie Role Continues A Very Specific 8-Year Career Trend

Summary Garfield's potential role in Scorsese's A Life of Jesus movie would continue his trend of playing Christian characters onscreen.

Though his casting has not been confirmed, Garfield could end up portraying Jesus himself in A Life of Jesus.

Garfield's fascination with the finitude of existence through spirituality explains his tendency to take on religious film roles.

Andrew Garfield's role in Martin Scorsese's A Life of Jesus movie would continue a trend in the actor's career that began in 2016. Ever since his feature film debut in 2007's Boy A, Garfield has had a prolific film career playing a variety of different roles. After his unreal three-movie run in 2021, Garfield took a few years off from film work, but he's getting back in the game with multiple movies lined up. Garfield will play astronomer Carl Sagan in Sebastián Lelio's Voyagers and star in Boy A director John Crowley's upcoming romcom We Live in Time.

In 2021, Garfield starred in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Tick, Tick... Boom!, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

In addition to these two films, Garfield may have secured himself another new role in Martin Scorsese's upcoming movie about Jesus Christ. Based on Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 book A Life of Jesus, Scorsese's next movie will be set in the present day and explore Christ's core teachings and principles. While no casting has been confirmed, Scorsese is hoping to reunite with Garfield for A Life of Jesus after first working together on his 2016 historical drama Silence. If this comes to fruition, A Life of Jesus would continue an eight-year trend in Garfield's acting career.

Andrew Garfield Has A History Of Playing Christians In Religious Projects

Garfield Has Played Christian Characters In Three Movies & A Miniseries

Close

Some of Andrew Garfield's best movies and TV shows have dealt heavily with religion, beginning with his first Scorsese movie, Silence. Garfield played Sebastião Rodrigues, a Portuguese Jesuit priest in the 17th century who travels to Japan with fellow Jesuit priest Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver) to locate their mentor, Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson), after he was forced to renounce his Christian faith in Japan for fear of persecution. Like Life of Jesus, Silence was also based on the Endō novel of the same name from 1966.

Starring in Scorsese's A Life of Jesus movie would contribute to Garfield's established pattern of playing religious characters onscreen.

That same year, Garfield also starred in Mel Gibson's war movie Hacksaw Ridge, based on Terry Benedict's 2004 documentary The Conscientious Objector. Garfield played real-life US Army combat medic Desmond Doss, who refused to carry or use a weapon or firearm in World War II due to his pacifist beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. Five years later, Garfield starred in the 2021 biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye, based on the 2000 World of Wonder documentary of the same name. Garfield played the eponymous Tammy Faye (Jessica Chastain)'s husband and fellow televangelist, Jim Bakker.

Garfield received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his performance in Hacksaw Ridge. His second was for his role as playwright Jonathan Lawson in the 2021 film adaptation of Lawson's musical Tick, Tick... Boom!

Garfield continued this movie trend in Under the Banner of Heaven, a 2022 true crime miniseries based on Jon Krakauer's 2003 non-fiction book of the same name. Garfield played Detective Jeb Pyre, a devout Mormon who investigates a double murder connected to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which earned him his first Emmy nomination. Clearly, Garfield has a long-running habit of playing Christian characters onscreen.

Andrew Garfield's Religious Characters Title Type Director/Creator Character Religious Role Silence (2016) Movie Martin Scorsese Sebastião Rodrigues Jesuit priest Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Movie Mel Gibson Desmond Doss Seventh-day Adventist Christian The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) Movie Michael Showalter Jim Bakker Televangelist Under the Banner of Heaven (2022) TV Miniseries Dustin Lance Black Jeb Pyre Mormon

Martin Scorsese's Jesus Movie Gives Andrew Garfield Another Religious Character To Play

Garfield Might Even Play The Titular Role Of Jesus

Starring in Scorsese's A Life of Jesus movie would contribute to Garfield's established pattern of playing religious characters onscreen. Scorsese didn't specify who he foresaw Garfield playing in A Life of Jesus, but it's possible Garfield could end up taking on the lead role of Jesus Christ. It doesn't get more Christian than Christ himself.

A Life of Jesus would not only maintain his track record of playing Christian characters in general, but also establish a new trend of playing these types of roles in Scorsese movies after Silence.

No matter who he plays in Scorsese's Jesus movie, the role will be inherently faith-based, keeping Garfield's religious character trend alive. In fact, A Life of Jesus would not only maintain his track record of playing Christian characters in general, but also establish a new trend of playing these types of roles in Scorsese movies after Silence.

Garfield explained that he's fascinated by the imminence of death and finds himself drawn to films that explore these themes through spirituality.

Related Martin Scorsese's New Movie Can Make Up For Divisive $23 Million Box Office Bomb From 8 Years Ago A potential reunion in Martin Scorsese's upcoming movie can make up for his divisive box office bomb from 2016 that only made $23 million.

Why Andrew Garfield Plays So Many Religious Characters In Movies & Shows

Garfield Is Drawn To Roles That Explore The Meaning Of Existence Through Spirituality

Though it's not completely intentional, Garfield is aware of this curious pattern in his film roles. When asked about his tendency to take on characters who are "defined by their faith or loss of it" while promoting The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Garfield explained that he's fascinated by the imminence of death and finds himself drawn to films that explore these themes through spirituality. "I have this endless curiosity towards...the spiritual dimension of being alive," Garfield told Collider. "You know, the fact that we're all going to die, and how do we get ready for that? Because it's coming."

"That's what spirituality is for me," he continued. "It's a kind of awareness of the finite nature of being here, and making sense and meaning out of it while we are here. And where do the main world religions get it right? Where do they go astray?" Given his interest in exploring religion onscreen and his history with these types of roles and Scorsese himself, Andrew Garfield would be perfect for A Life of Jesus.

Source: Collider