How Andrew Garfield got into war hero’s head for Hacksaw Ridge role

Actors playing roles based on real people do mountains of research to make sure they are staying as close to reality as possible. At the same time, there are small pieces of the performance that actors hold on to, where the work can be made their own.

Those parts are the bits of their own life that they layer on top to build what should be a performance that is entertaining while maintaining the truth. Too much or too little of either and the work suffers.

Andrew Garfield faced that dilemma playing Private Desmond Doss in the Mel Gibson film, Hacksaw Ridge. Doss was a conscientious objector during the second world war who became a hero for saving 75 wounded men.

As part of his research, Garfield travelled to Chattanooga, in the US state of Tennessee, to visit the last home Doss lived in before he died in 2006. The actor wanted to walk where Doss walked. He wanted to handle the tools he handled. All the time, Garfield had to keep in mind how the research would affect his performance.

“For me, with a man like Desmond, I don’t think I could have gone too far in terms of getting to know who he was,” Garfield says. “But it can’t be an impression of him. That doesn’t interest me.

“There are certain things that are wonderful as resources you get to mimic. But then there is the other part of the alchemy process in making the character you.”

Garfield explains that it is like the difference between slipping on clothes or slipping into someone’s skin. Until he goes deep inside a role based on a real person, he doesn’t feel he’s done the work justice. And it’s not until he fully understands the character that Garfield feels confident he can do the things asked of the role in the script without hesitation or thought.