Popularly known for starring as the web-swinging superhero in The Amazing Spider-Man film series, Andrew Garfield made his feature film debut with the 2007 film Lions for Lambs. It featured Garfield alongside an ensemble cast, including Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, and Michael Pena. The movie follows two students who enlist in the army following the inspiration of their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley.
While the actor was feeling lucky to have his feature film debut alongside such an acclaimed cast, the movie fell short of his expectations. It received negative reviews and had a disappointing box office reception as well. And the actor later admitted that he was wrong about it all along.
Andrew Garfield Believed Lions For Lambs Would Do Wonders
Andrew Garfield felt nothing but lucky when his audition tape for another movie landed in the hands of the casting director Avy Kaufman. Kaufman was the casting director for Robert Redford’s 2007 movie Lions for Lambs, and she found the 40-year-old actor perfect for the role of Todd Hayes in the movie.
The Social Network actor has shared that he had an incredible experience working in Redford’s movie alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. He even said, “I’m just lucky to be there working on the same project as them.”
It may have also led the actor to anticipate that Lions and Lambs would be the big break he had been waiting for. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Garfield shared that he believed that the film was “literally going to define our time,” claiming that it had a “worthy script.”
However, things did not go as he expected. Lions for Lambs only made $63.2 million at the box office and was harshly criticized by the critics and audience. “People hated it, to be honest,” Garfield said, stating that he was wrong about the movie, as it did not do very well at the box office.
Andrew Garfield Called His Feature Film Debut Ridiculous
Andrew Garfield had high expectations from the 2007 war drama. While he has been quite vocal about what he expected, he has also not hesitated to share his disappointment with the movie as well. During his 2021 interview with Wired, the Mainstream star deemed his feature film debut a “ridiculous first movie to do.”
[It was] a ridiculous first movie to do because Robert Redford was directing and starring (in the film),” he said. The actor explained that the movie featured some of the most prominent names at the time alongside an actor who had never done a movie before.
“Next on the call sheet was Meryl Streep. And then, after Meryl Streep was Thomas Cruise. Then after that, it was this little child called Andrew Garfield, who had never made a film before. And that’s ridiculous.”
While the actor did have some promising scenes in the movie, as he portrayed a privileged young college student, the movie’s reviews did not work in his favor, and he continued to struggle until his breakout with the 2010 biographical drama The Social Network.
Lions for Lambs is available on Prime Video.
Source: Los Angeles Times
