Andrew Garfield reveals he went 'celibate for six months' to play a priest in 'Silence'
Andrew Garfield is opening up about his preparation for the 2016 film "Silence," revealing he fasted from food and sex for six months.
During his appearance on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast Monday, the "Under the Banner of Heaven" star, 39, spoke about his acting process, including the lengths he went to in order to get into character as a 17th-century Jesuit priest for "Silence."
Garfield said his preparation for this role included undergoing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises — a series of prayers and meditations developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola — as well as limiting his consumption of food and sex.
"I did a bunch of spiritual practices every day, and I created new rituals for myself," he said. "I was celibate for six months and fasting a lot, because me and (co-star) Adam (Driver) had to lose a lot of weight anyways."
He added: "There were all these spiritual practices that we got to do while we were praying, meditating and having all the intentions that we had as those characters."
According to Garfield, fasting provided unique insight.
"It was very cool, man. I had some pretty wild, trippy experiences from starving myself of sex and food for that period of time," he said. "It gives you some gifts for sure."
Garfield also said he spent a year studying Catholicism with Fr. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit priest, in New York.
"He became my friend and spiritual director for a year," Garfield said.
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In April, Garfield also spoke to People about taking a break from acting following his recent projects.
"I'm actually really happy and excited to be very quiet and very still and take some time to just be," he told the outlet. "It feels very important right now, especially after a lot of output, a lot of being out in the world, and giving a lot of energy to things that I'm very passionate about, but I have to kind of refill the well so that I can carry on authentically."
If you or someone you know is struggling with body image or eating concerns, the National Eating Disorders Association's toll-free and confidential helpline is available by phone or text at 1-800-931-2237 or by click-to-chat message at nationaleatingdisorders.org/helpline. For 24/7 crisis situations, text "NEDA" to 741-741.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Andrew Garfield fasted from food, sex to play priest in 'Silence'
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