In a tragic twist of fate, Larson passed away, aged 35, from an aortic aneurysm on the morning of Rent’s first off-Broadway preview show. "You know, seeing Ronald Reagan not mentioning, not saying Aids for however long, however many years and the damage that does… Jon felt it all as the sensitive artist that he was and it was all that pain and anguish and suffering that created one of the great musical works of the last century, which is Rent."
“ was so community-minded, and he felt such alignment to the periphery of the culture, the groups and the people that were not included, supported, loved in the way that is everyone’s birthright", Garfield muses.
Netflix’s absolute lung-buster of a movie – also starring Alexandra Shipp ( Love, Simon), MJ Rodriguez ( Pose) and Robin de Jesús ( The Boys in the Band) – tells the story of Larson who, on the cusp of his 30th birthday, is racing against the clock to prepare for a workshop of his latest work, all the while wrestling with crippling debt, an increasingly strained relationship with his girlfriend (Shipp) and, most pressingly, the creeping devastation of the Aids crisis on his circle of friends. “I just wanted Ryan to know that I loved him no matter whether he won or lost,” Garfield told Stephen Colbert after the kiss went viral.Andrew Garfield for the Attitude December issue (Photography: Brian Bowen Smith) In January, Garfield made headlines after locking lips with Ryan Reynolds at The 2017 Golden Globe Awards. Aside from speaking out in favor of same-sex marriage, the actor also questioned why Spider-Man, a character he played in two films, couldn’t be gay. Garfield has long been a supporter of the LGBTQ community. The “Spider-Man” star said that he was worried about playing a gay role but eventually decided that he had to “trust that it was the right thing.” He also revealed he prepared for his role with the help of his gay friends and that the play is “as much devoted to my friends in the gay community as it is those that passed during the epidemic.” “Maybe I’ll have an awakening later in my life, which I’m sure will be wonderful and I’ll get to explore that part of the garden, but right now I’m secluded to my area, which is wonderful as well,” he said.
Garfield did go on to admit, “as far as I know, I am not a gay man,” but appeared to be open to the possibility of a same-sex experience or relationship at some point in the future. This is my life outside of this play,” he said, gushing his praise on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which he also said helped him with preparing to be in “Angels in America.” “My only time off during rehearsals – every Sunday I would have eight friends over and we would just watch Ru. Can you be a gay man if you don’t have sex with other men?Īndrew Garfield, who recently opened up about his sexuality during an “Angels in America” post-show talkback, jokingly seems to think so.Īccording to Gay Times, Garfield, who plays a gay character diagnosed with AIDS in the critically-acclaimed drama being staged in London, told the audience that his life is currently so gay, he considers himself a “gay man right now just without the physical act.”