Andrew Garfield Clarifies Controversial 'Gay Man Without The Physical Act' Comments: 'Not What I Meant At All'
Andrew Garfield has nothing but respect for the LGBTQ community.
The 33-year-old actor is clarifying comments he made earlier this month during a Q&A panel for a London production of Angels in America he's starring in, which generated some backlash. Garfield opened up about how he prepared for his role as Prior Walter, a gay man, and said that he was watching plenty of RuPaul's Drag Race.
"I am a gay man right now, pretty much, just without the physical act -- that's all," he said.
WATCH: Andrew Garfield Cozies Up to Dev Patel After Looking for Someone to Kiss at the Oscars
The comment didn't go over too well on the internet, with some accusing Garfield of over simplifying what it means to be gay.
"That's of course not what I meant at all," Garfield tells Newsbeat in a new interview. "That discussion was about this play and how deeply grateful I am that I get to work on something so profound."
"It's a love letter to the LGBTQ community," he adds. "We were talking about, 'How do you prepare for something so important and so big?' and I was basically saying, 'I dive in as fully as I possibly can.'"
Garfield says he "adores" the LGBTQ community and culture.
"My only longing is to serve and to keep the world spinning forward for the LGBTQ community in whatever way I'm meant to," he says. "It's important to a community that I feel so welcomed by. The intention [in my comments] was to speak to that, speak to my desire to play this part to the best of my ability and to fully immerse myself in a culture that I adore."
WATCH: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and More Recite the Iconic 'R.S.V.P.' Speech From 'Clueless'
In May, the British star attended the Werq the World Tour at the Troxy in London, and surprised the audience when he hopped on stage at the drag queen revue. Check out Garfield's amazing lip syncing and dancing skills while performing to a cover of the late Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman" in the video below.