Andrew Garfield, currently "unplugged" from the digital world, is channeling the potent "Robin Hood energy" of his latest film, The Uprising, a historical drama that he believes mirrors contemporary global disenchantment. The actor, known for his thoughtful performances, has expressed a deep conviction in the film’s message, asserting that any form of public attention, regardless of its origin or perceived oddity, serves a vital purpose in attracting audiences to non-franchise cinema. His perspective comes amidst recent marketing confusion surrounding the film, which briefly suggested a title change before clarifying its true identity.
The Uprising’s Marketing Odyssey
The journey for The Uprising into public consciousness has been anything but conventional. On August 20, promotional materials for the Paul Greengrass-directed period action drama prompted widespread online speculation when they seemingly rebranded the film with a sub The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood. This unexpected addition led to a collective online "wait, what!?" moment, sparking confusion about the film’s identity. It was subsequently clarified that "The Rise of Robin Hood" was intended as a tagline, not a permanent change to the official title, which remains The Uprising. This clarification was reinforced by subsequent promotional spots. Interestingly, Greengrass’s original working title during the scripting phase was simply The Hood, foreshadowing the archetypal connection now central to its marketing.
Garfield, however, remained largely oblivious to this digital commotion. "I’m three weeks sober from social media," he revealed, explaining his detachment from the online discourse. Despite the kerfuffle, he expressed unwavering trust in the film’s distributor, Focus Features, and director Greengrass, believing The Uprising will ultimately find its intended audience.
A History of Viral Flukes
This marketing episode is not an isolated incident in Garfield’s recent career. A couple of years prior, his romantic drama We Live in Time inadvertently generated significant viral buzz from a first-look image. The photo, featuring Garfield and co-star Florence Pugh on a carousel, became a social media sensation not for its stars, but for a "crazed-looking" carousel horse sharing the frame.
Garfield views such "bizarre flukes" as an unpredictable, yet welcome, part of the modern film promotion landscape. He acknowledges the difficulty in drawing audiences to original, non-franchise movies in an entertainment ecosystem often dominated by established intellectual properties. "We’re in a time of chaos. There’s no formula to getting people to see a film," Garfield stated, emphasizing his belief in the film’s core message. He added, "However that happens — whether it’s me eating chicken wings with hot sauce, or people talking about Robin Hood or a deranged horse — I just really believe in [The Uprising]." His ultimate hope is for audiences to experience the film communally, a trend he observed with other movies throughout the summer.
Echoes of 1381: The Peasants’ Revolt
The Uprising transports audiences to England in 1381, a period marked by profound social unrest and the historic Peasants’ Revolt. The film centers on Garfield’s character, known only as the Ploughman, a grieving farmer who becomes a catalyst for rebellion. He joins forces with real-life historical figures Wat Tyler (portrayed by Cosmo Jarvis) and John Ball (played by Jamie Bell) to ignite an insurrection against the oppressive regime. The revolt was fueled by the English peasantry’s deep resentment over excessive taxation imposed by the council of oligarchs, who governed on behalf of the young King Richard II. This historical event, while ultimately suppressed, is widely recognized by historians as a significant moment in the development of English social and political thought, demonstrating the power of collective action against perceived tyranny.
A Mirror to Modern Discontent
Garfield draws a direct parallel between the 14th-century Peasants’ Revolt and the contemporary world, particularly in the United States. He highlights a growing universal sentiment of disenfranchisement, where citizens across the political spectrum express frustration with the immense influence of billionaires. These wealthy individuals, he observes, spend unprecedented sums to shape elections and policy, simultaneously increasing their personal fortunes while contributing to a rising cost of living for the general populace.
The actor’s impassioned stance on these issues was evident at a recent Q&A for The Uprising, where he provocatively stated his hope that the film would make the "1 percent scared shitless." He elaborated on this sentiment, describing a pervasive "universal rage" and a "kind of imprisonment that we’re all suffering under," which he believes detaches humanity from its fundamental sense of belonging to the earth, to each other, and to the inherent dignity of the soul.
The Soul of the Outlaw: Robin Hood’s Archetype
The marketing’s allusion to Robin Hood is deeply embedded within the film’s narrative and thematic fabric. The Ploughman’s very moniker references William Langland’s seminal 14th-century poem, Piers Plowman, a work that not only predates the Peasants’ Revolt but also contains one of the earliest literary references to the legendary outlaw Robin Hood. While the folklore of Robin Hood existed in various forms as early as the 13th century, The Uprising posits that the collective struggles and revolutionary spirit of England’s lower classes during the Great Uprising helped to inspire and amplify the later, more widely known tales of the hooded, bow-wielding figure who sought justice for the oppressed. Historians have even traced connections between the principles championed during the Great Uprising and those that would later inform foundational documents like the U.S. Constitution.
Garfield clarifies that The Uprising does not feature a character explicitly identifying as Robin Hood, akin to a modern superhero. Instead, the film explores the influential spirit of the famed outlaw. "The Robin Hood aspect is more of an emergent energy and archetype within our story," Garfield explained. He described this as "a figure that starts to emerge from the unconscious and the ground during periods of time when common folk are feeling disempowered, abused, violated and separated from the dignity of living their own lives." This archetypal energy, he notes, is deeply connected to ancient figures like the Green Man, symbolizing a fierce, inherent belonging to the earth that arises when systems fail to honor human dignity.
Journeying "Down" to Reconnection
Garfield’s philosophical insights extend beyond the historical context, touching upon a profound yearning for reconnection in a world he perceives as increasingly fractured. He argues against a contemporary "obsession… with ascending above all of our issues and even going to another fucking planet to do it. That’s going to solve nothing." Instead, he proposes a "counterintuitive way, which is down." This downward journey, he suggests, involves confronting "all of our pain, all of our rage, all of our agony and anguish." He posits that "our woundedness is actually the quality that connects us all," leading to a deeper understanding of self, nature, and community. This path, he believes, is where humanity recognizes its role as "custodians of this miracle that is called life and Planet Earth, rather than dominators of it or victims to it."
Crafting the Ploughman
In portraying the Ploughman, Garfield delved into a depth of rage and primal instinct rarely seen in his previous roles. His character, despite claiming to be merely a humble farmer, displays remarkable combat prowess and an almost supernatural instinct for battle and sensing deception. Garfield attributes these abilities not to formal training or mystical charm, but to the harsh realities of the era. He explains that men of that time possessed a "physical, rough-and-ready rhythm" born of survival instincts, a "hunter-gatherer kind of need." The Ploughman’s acute instincts, he adds, stem from his profound "closeness to the land and to nature," developing as he is "worn down to the essential core rawness of his own instinctive humanity." To achieve this raw emotional state, Garfield drew upon an amalgamation of personal memories, ancestral resonance, imagination, and empathy for the "universal rage" he perceives in the world today.
Navigating a Chaotic World: Faith and Systems
Garfield’s exploration of characters undergoing crises of faith and confronting corrupt systems is a recurring theme in his work, from his portrayals in Hacksaw Ridge and Silence to more recent roles like Jim Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Jeb Pyre in Under the Banner of Heaven. He notes a continued craving for "collective or communal connection" that he feels current societal systems fail to provide. In a world he describes as "uncentered" and full of "chaos," "anxiety," and "fear," Garfield views the "disparate falling apart of our current systems" as potentially "necessary and good." He advocates for individuals to find their "own centers" to foster the creation of new, more genuine systems.
Beyond Sherwood Forest: Other Cinematic Ventures
Beyond the medieval landscape of The Uprising, Garfield continues to engage with pressing contemporary issues through his upcoming projects. He briefly touched upon the highly anticipated quasi-sequel to The Social Network, titled The Social Reckoning. While Garfield’s co-star Jesse Eisenberg opted not to reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg, Garfield expressed respect for Eisenberg’s decision and his "brilliant mind," while also voicing excitement for the film, which features Jeremy Strong and is penned by Aaron Sorkin.
Garfield also discussed his role as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino’s forthcoming film Artificial. This role places him at the forefront of another defining contemporary debate: the rise of artificial intelligence.
The Future of Humanity and AI
Addressing the profound implications of AI, Garfield acknowledged that "the toothpaste is definitely out of the tube," signifying the irreversible integration of AI into society. However, he maintains a hopeful outlook, believing that "humanity will prevail and that the soul of humanity cannot be replicated and artificialized." He emphasizes the distinction inherent in the technology’s name: "Artificial intelligence, the name is on the tin. It’s artificial. It’s not soul intelligence. It’s not human intelligence." Garfield firmly believes in the "unreplicable nature of the human soul and the human spirit," advocating for storytelling that celebrates this uniqueness and for maintaining human connection over reliance on new technologies. He concluded that while "new tools are great," they cannot replace communal experiences like going to the movie theater, the live theater, or enjoying live music.
The Uprising opens September 10 in movie theaters nationwide, inviting audiences to reflect on historical struggles and their enduring resonance in the modern quest for dignity and belonging.
