Star British actor, Andrew Garfield has revealed that the music of late Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti influenced his portrayal of Spider Man, particularly the superhero’s movements and commitment to justice.
Garfield made the disclosure in a video posted on YouTube by Track Star, titled “Testing Andrew Garfield’s Music Knowledge”, where he discussed some of the music that has influenced him and his work.
The actor said he creates playlists for every character he plays and began listening to Fela’s music when he took on the role of Peter Parker in The Amazing 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,” he said.
Garfield, who played Spider Man in The Amazing Spider Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider Man 2 (2014), said Fela’s revolutionary background also helped him connect with the character’s sense of justice.
“There was something about suddenly being in touch with the body, but also justice-seeking, because obviously he was a revolutionary figure,” he said.
He explained that Fela’s music influenced the way he moved while wearing the Spider Man suit.
“And the way that I moved in that film, in the suit, has some inspiration from Fela and his music,” Garfield stated.
The actor said he wanted to capture some of the power he felt in Fela’s music and bring it into his portrayal of the superhero.
“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,” he said.
The song played during the segment was Fela’s “Water No Get Enemy”, one of the tracks from his 1975 album Expensive Shit.
Garfield first played Spider Man in Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider Man in 2012 and reprised the role in The Amazing Spider Man 2 in 2014. He returned as the character in the 2021 film Spider Man: No Way Home.