Andrew Garfield has given a performance of a lifetime in the recent Netflix adaptation of the celebrated musical Tick, Tick…BOOM! Lin-Manuel Miranda brings the legendary playwright and composer Jonathan Larson back to life, thanks to the stunning portrayal of the Larson by Andrew. He has done the impressions of Larson with sheer perfection, from every hand gesture to eye roll. But if there is one thing that stands out in this performance is the accent of Andrew Garfield.

Andrew plays the role of this New York-based iconic playwright Jonathan Larson so well that you will just fall in love with him, and with the actor, too. Whether he is singing, speaking, or staying absolutely quiet; Garfield will make you forget he is not from the New York of the 1990s.

While he has mastered the art of adapting to a plethora of accents, his off-screen accent is not really American. It is absolutely phenomenal how Garfield just finds the right voice for the role.

Andrew Garfield Accent: A Familial Boon

Born in the city of Los Angeles, Andrew’s father is an American, whereas his mother is British. Even though he stayed in Los Angeles for a couple of years, his family moved to England when he was just three years of age. Garfield grew up in the Surry country, from where he picked up the local dialect of the region. While he was growing up surrounded by British people, back at home he had an American dad waiting for him who made sure the young boy heard the tones and textures of the States.

The ability of Andrew to soar through in American accent has certainly been something to drive his career with. He adapts to even the littlest of nuances of a dialect, which enables The Amazing Spider-Man actor to play any role with perfection. Audiences just love to watch Garfield, one of the reasons for which is the dedication and perfection he brings with him to the roles.

The Man with Many Accents in Movies

Looking at some movies that feature Andrew Garfield with a particular accent, we must not forget his work in Robert Redford’s “Lion for Lambs”; Garfield taps into a perfect LA accent in the movie. Similar is the case with the conspiracy story “Under the Silver Lake”, where we see him in an articulate LA tone. In “99 Homes” we see Andrew donning a much softer timbre as he plays the role of a hard-pressed construction worker.

While an American accent is something that Andrew has to tap into, a British accent comes pretty naturally to him. We got to see him speak in that beautiful accent in several movies, including “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” where he has a rather rough and scrappy utterance. Garfield switches to a much glazed and aristocratic accent in the movie “Never Let Me Go” and “Breathe”.

The Hard Work and Dedication of Andrew Garfield for Accent

It is difficult to just pick up accents on the go; you need to be devoted to learning them, and it always takes a lot of time. Garfield does it as effortlessly as buttering a slice of bread; but how? The major reason for this is his dedication to work; During the days of being the Amazing Spider-Man, Andrew, along with his dialect coach Liz Himelstein, met high school students in Queens to make sure his accent was accurate according to the local lingo and deliverances.

The actor also easily switches into a southern accent, which is pretty clear in his Academy-Award nominated portrayal of Desmond Doss in Hacksaw Ridge. Garfield even pulls off a Brazilian-born character in his Golden-Globe nominated movie “The Social Network”; he accurately picks up an accent that never lets us forget the Brazilian roots of the character. Additionally, Garfield actually spent an entire year with a real-life Jesuit priest to study the Portuguese accent and tones for his movie “Silence”.

How did Garfield find the voice for Jonathan Larson?

Tapping into accents is one thing, but it is a whole different level of difficulty when you are tasked to be the voice of a legend. Sure, Garfield is not new to the New York accent; thanks to his venture as Spider-Man. But he needed special vocal training for this movie – he had to learn how to sing. He even learned the piano to make sure the scenes came out authentic and melodic, just like the rest of the movie.

We see Garfield not only nail the New York accent, but we also saw him sing to perfection in the many songs of the movie. All he did was, he allowed himself to be “led by love” and now we have fallen for the actor yet again.