Exclusive: Andrew Garfield on “honouring” Rent creator in Tick, Tick… BOOM!

Andrew Garfield has opened up about his role as Jonathan Larson in Netflix’s Tick, Tick… BOOM!

The 2021 film adaptation, which marks Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut, is based on the semi-autobiographical musical of the same name by Larson, who is best known for writing and composing the classic LGBTQ+ musical Rent.

Tick, Tick… BOOM! takes place in 1990 and follows the late theatre composer as he juggles work at the Moondance Diner in Soho while preparing for a workshop of his musical Superbia, which he has been working on for eight years.

The incredible supporting cast includes Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry, Judith Light, Mj Rodriguez, Bradley Whitford, Joanna P. Adler, Noah Robbins, Ben Ross, Beth Malone and Joel Grey.

For his performance as Larson, Garfield has received widespread critical acclaim and is even receiving Oscar buzz. Speaking exclusively with GAY TIMES about the role, the actor says it was important for him to “honour” Larson and his contributions to musical theatre.

“He gets to the heart of things. He opens the wounds up and dives in,” explains Garfield. “He makes them beautiful, somehow, and he honours them.

“He honours the struggle of what it is to be a human being and it’s through the lens of him as a musical theatre writer being surrounded by his community, which is an incredibly diverse community of artists, dancers and waiters. You see it in what he creates with Rent. This film, I think, honours that.”

Tick, Tick… BOOM! also honours the adversity faced by the LGBTQ+ community at the time as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the “terrible humanity” of Ronald Reagan’s homophobic administration, adds Garfield.

The former GAY TIMES cover also star says he wanted to portray Larson because of his “satirical, funny, creative and inventive” artistry.

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