Andrew Garfield has had a killer career on the stage and screen, earning a Tony Award and Oscar nomination in the process. Some of the best Andrew Garfield movies have him playing "good" guys, but that changed with the recent drama After the Hunt (which is streaming now with an Amazon Prime subscription). And after finally watching Luca Guadagnino's latest movie, I really need to see more of the actor in villainous roles.
Garfield is known for his time in the Spider-Man movies, so he's pretty synonymous with playing a hero. That's why I was so taken with what he brought to the table with After the Hunt, which is one of the best parts of the movie IMO. I'm just hoping this is the beginning of the actor's villain era.
I Hope After The Hunt Is The Start Of Garfield's Villain Era
While fans are hoping that Garfield once again suits up as Spider-Man in upcoming Marvel movies, I'm still not over what he brought to the table as Hank Gibson in After the Hunt. In the movie, he's a philosophy professor at Yale University who is accused of sexually assaulting a PhD student. He's the primary antagonist of the project, with Garfield bringing a ton of emotionality to the character as his life begins to spiral out of control.
Throughout the movie's 139-minute runtime, Hank refuses to take any responsibility for what happened between him and Ayo Edebiri's Maggie. And after letting himself into Alma's vacation home (without permission), the two have a tense conversation about their own relationship. He tries to initiate sex with her, despite being told no multiple times. It's the final straw for Hank, and shows how little he cares about actual consent.
This was a big departure for Andrew Garfield, who is known for his delightful personality and years fighting crime as Peter Parker. I loved to hate Hank during After the Hunt, which is why I'm hoping to see the 42-year-old actor get to play more villainous roles in the future. It would be especially interesting to see this dynamic in genre work, highlighting the change from his time saving people's lives in the Amazing Spider-Man movies.
Garfield is great at being a hero, including his Tony-winning performance as Prior Walter in Angels in America. But he's a versatile talent, and villainy looked good on him. Bring on the antagonists!
Of course, this isn't the common sentiment about the future of Garfield's career. After the three Peter Parkers united in No Way Home, fans have been hoping that he'll return as Spider-Man once again. We'll just have to wait and see if that or another villain role happens first.
After the Hunt is streaming now on Amazon Prime as part of the 2025 movie release list. Garfield has a number of upcoming projects coming down the line, so we'll have to wait and see if he's able to flex those villain muscles sometime soon.
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