Andrew Garfield, who starred in such films as The Amazing Spider-Man and Hacksaw Ridge, recently reflected on one of the defining moments of his early career-a screen test he shared nearly two decades ago with fellow actor Ryan Gosling. Speaking at an interview recently, Garfield remembered how that experience had shaped his view of craft and gained him greater respect for Gosling as an artist.
Garfield, who still had a niche in Hollywood back then, described the screen test with Gosling as “almost surreal.” “He felt like James Dean. Really. This raw intensity and presence that was so rare. It was apparent he was going to be a star,” Garfield said.
They had only been working in the film industry for so little time and were fighting for recognition in the harsh industry. As Garfield described, the screen test was one of those rare moments when everything fell into place, despite the enormous pressure from having to impress the casting directors; he still distinctly remembers the undeniable chemistry between the two.
“Ryan and I didn’t know what was going to happen the next day in our careers, but there was this energy in the room,” he explained. “We were both hungry, both eager to create something real and true. It was inspiring to be across from him, to play off that kind of authenticity.”
Although those two went on to have quite separate careers – the two will never share screen time in a big feature movie – Garfield only has greater regard for Gosling with the passage of years. “It was like he was tapping into something deeper, much in the same way people describe working with James Dean,” Garfield said. “He had this effortless ability to make everything feel personal and raw and grounded.”
As both Garfield and Gosling have since become two of Hollywood’s greatest leading men, this shared screen test stands as a reminder of where they both came from and the paths which have led them to stardom. Yet even with there yet being no major film where their fans would be able to see them share the screen together, the words of Garfield have resurfaced with interest into the possibility of the two actors making a screen appearance together. With that talent, it’s a project that many now look forward to eagerly.
As for Garfield, such a screen test is still fond, a photograph of a moment when two young actors were trying just to grab some chance for themselves and find a place in the industry-a pure passion for acting.
