British actor Andrew Garfield has revealed that the music and revolutionary spirit of late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti influenced his portrayal of Spider-Man.
Garfield made the disclosure during an appearance on Track Star’s YouTube series, Testing Andrew Garfield’s Music Knowledge.
The actor explained that he creates a playlist for every character he plays as part of his preparation, and Fela’s music became part of the process when he was cast as Spider-Man.
“I create a playlist for every character I play, which is a lovely, fun thing to do anyway. So I started listening to Fela Kuti when I first got Spider-Man, and there was something about the sound and the rhythm that was really useful to me for that character,” Garfield said.
He said Fela’s music helped him connect with both the physical and justice-driven aspects of the superhero.
“There was something about suddenly being in touch with the body, but also justice-seeking, because obviously he was a revolutionary figure,” he explained.
Garfield said the influence extended to the way he physically portrayed Spider-Man, particularly his movement while wearing the superhero suit.
“And the way that I moved in that film, in the suit, has some inspiration from Fela and his music,” he said.
The actor added that he was drawn to the power in Fela’s music and wanted to channel a similar energy into his portrayal of Spider-Man.
“I was like, I don’t know what it is about this guy’s power that I want to somehow reflect in this guy’s power,” Garfield said.
During the interview, the song played as part of the discussion was Fela’s 1975 classic, Water No Get Enemy, from the album Expensive Shit.
Garfield played Peter Parker/Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its 2014 sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
