Andrew Garfield & Claire Foy’s New Fantasy Movie Proves He’s in the ‘Ideal Profession’ | Interview

(Photo Credit: Vertical)

Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy had a great time filming their new fantasy movie, The Magic Faraway Tree. The duo discussed their roles as parents in the film, working with child actors, and why Garfield is definitely in the “ideal profession.” Also starring Rebecca Ferguson, Nicola Coughlan, Nonso Anozie, Jessica Gunning, and Jennifer Saunders, it arrives in theaters nationwide on August 21.

“Adapted from Enid Blyton’s beloved classic novel The Magic Faraway Tree, the film centers on Polly (Foy), Tim (Garfield), and their three children – a modern family forced to relocate to the remote English countryside. As they adapt to their new lives, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric residents, including treasured characters Moonface (Anozie), Silky (Coughlan), Dame Washalot (Gunning), and Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns). At the top of the tree, they are transported to spectacular, fantastical lands, and through the joys and challenges of their adventures, the family learns to reconnect and value each other for the first time in years,” says the official synopsis.

Tyler Treese: Andrew, there’s this wonderful element to your character where you retain some of that childlike glee and imagination into adulthood. I imagine, as an actor, you can really relate to that since you get to play pretend and tell these really resonant stories for a living. Can you speak to that aspect of your character? Because it has such a great payoff in the film.

Andrew Garfield: That’s sweet of you to say. Yeah, I think that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do it. Any excuse to kind of play and feel in contact with that inner child that we are being told to distance ourselves from as much as possible, in overt and not-so-overt ways.

So, yeah, no, I love it. I feel so ridiculously lucky that this is what we get to do for a living. And working with the kids was a big part of it. Being with those young actors was the kind of medicine, was the kind of remedy for me and for Claire. We really just leaned on them to guide us in terms of how to play these parts and how to enjoy each day on this set. It was really, really joyful.

Yeah, it looks like we have three future stars in this film. Claire, I wanted to ask you about acting with the three young actors that play your kids. They’re all at slightly different moments with their parents. The oldest is a bit more rebellious. How was it working with them and just making each of those relationships feel distinct?

Claire Foy: I mean, it so mirrors kind of the experience of being on set. We had different relationships with each of those kids as their characters in the film as well. It honestly was just so lovely.

So much of filming is not when you’re actually shooting. So much of the conversations we had when we weren’t shooting and how we were with each other sort of just bled into the film in lots of ways. I just ended up being really nostalgic, actually, and kind of wanting to be like they were as kids when I was a kid.

I just found them really inspiring. So genuine and, you know, well-adjusted and just interested in the world, so curious. I just thought that was really refreshing and really lovely to see.

Andrew, there’s also this fun fish-out-of-water subplot here. As you guys move onto a farm, you’re really struggling with the farm equipment during one of the scenes. Are you much of a handyman, or was it natural to just be out of your element with this farm machinery?

Andrew Garfield: I’m more of a handyman than Tim, but that’s not saying much. I definitely give things a try.

Claire Foy: And then you get the professional.

Garfield: And then I call someone. But I have a confidence in myself that I feel is really valuable, but it doesn’t ultimately amount to much.

Again, I’m in the right profession. I’m very good at pretending to be able to do things. I’m very good at acting as if I can do. I believe in myself so much.

Foy: So much. He really does. He’s very convincing.

Garfield: And then there’s not a lot of follow-through.

Foy: He’s in the ideal profession.

Garfield: I really, really am. I could really convince you I could fix some plumbing. I could convince you that I could make a table. I’m not going to make the table, though.

Claire, the brilliant Simon Farnaby adapted this book. What did you like most about just how he updated this to be in the modern time? Because there’s a really fun tech element to this film as well.

Foy: Yeah, I think he’s got funny bones, and he sees the world in such a humorous way. I already admired him a lot. We watch Ghosts a lot in my house.

I just think he’s brilliant. It’s very non-patronizing. You don’t ever feel like he’s preaching. You don’t feel like he’s kind of even telling you what the film is. His script is so open to interpretation and so playful.

When you recognize things in something, and it makes you laugh, it’s just a sign that it’s going good, like it’s going to be good. I just felt like that the whole time I read it. I just think he’s really clever. He’s really clever at what he does. He’s like a triple threat times a million. He’s just got so many strings to his bow. He’s such an impressive person.

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Thanks to Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy for taking the time to talk about The Magic Faraway Tree.

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