Many of Andrew Garfield’s best movies have been acclaimed Award Season choices, in addition to his tenure starring in the Spider-Man movies (which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription). He recently pivoted over to more family-friendly content with Ben Gregor’s The Magic Faraway Tree, and the actor spoke to CinemaBlend about why he wanted to get involved in the book-to-screen adaptation.
The Magic Faraway Tree was a hit movie in the U.K., and now it’s finally traveling across the pond and hitting theaters in the States. Garfield plays father Tim Thompson, who moves his family to the country, where his kids meet magical creatures in the forest near their home. I had the chance to speak with the cast a few weeks ago, when the Oscar-nominated actor revealed how his own childhood inspired his involvement in the family comedy. In Garfield’s words:
I think that’s one of the big reasons why I wanted to do this film. It was just kind of reconnecting with that part of us and, and kind of a longing to bring all of that into our lives and into our adult lives. I was, I had no shortage of play as a kid. I was very lucky. I had an older brother who, who was my best friend for a while until he got, you know, into his teenage years. And, and I had really good friends that I could play with
The importance of play and separation from screens is a big idea in The Magic Faraway Tree, so it makes sense that it would inspire Garfield to join the project. Early in the movie, Tim and his wife Polly (Claire Foy) realize that their kids are addicted to screens, and decide to make a change. What results is their three children playing together and having magical adventures in the woods near their home.
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The Social Network star went on to share how his own childhood mirrored this, thanks to being in a rural area with access to a forest. Garfield shared with me:
And it was a lot of stuff in the forest. It was a lot of imagining and playing in the forest because we had a nice wood near our house where I grew up and like sledding at Christmas time when there was snow.
It certainly sounds like the Tony-winning actor can relate to how the Thompson kids are able to connect with nature and their imagination in The Magic Faraway Tree. So while Andrew Garfield has started to play parents on the big screen, it’s clear his inner child is very much still in his work.
The 42-year-old actor went on to share another beloved part of his childhood: putting on made-up plays as a young person. In his words:
And we would put on plays. I would put on plays with my neighbor’s kids and our kind best friend’s family’s kids. We would make plays up and put them on for our parents and they were, you know – Of course. Just silly and, silly and terrible and brilliant.
You can see my conversation with Andrew Garfield below, where he spoke about why he got involved in The Magic Faraway Tree. Check it out:
This family fantasy film has already been a wild success in the U.K., so it should be interesting to see how audiences respond to The Magic Faraway Tree in America. Garfield and Foy are big names, and family movies tend to do well in the summer. What’s more, producers have already announced plans for two movie sequels.
The Magic Faraway Tree will hit theaters in the States on August 21st as part of the 2026 movie release list. Of course, there are plenty of fans who are hoping Garfield once again reprises his role as Spider-Man in one of the next two Avengers movies. Hey, at least he’s still trying new genres.