Oscars 2022: Andrew Garfield Wants to Channel Fellow Nominee Will Smith in a Musical Number for the Broadcast
Andrew Garfield finds himself among the Oscars 2022 nominees following the Academy’s announcement on Tuesday, February 8. Though most recent headlines about him focus on his cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, he delivered multiple critically-acclaimed film performances in 2021.
Like his fellow Spider-Man Tom Holland, Garfield proved he can play a superhero and a belt a tune with his performance in Tick, Tick…Boom! But stepping away from Broadway fare, he’d like to try his hand at a famous song from none other than Will Smith, his competition at this year’s award show.
Andrew Garfield suggested he sing Will Smith’s ‘Miami’ at the Oscars 2022 broadcast
Garfield showed off his singing chops in the 2021 musical drama Tick, Tick…Boom! The film, released on Netflix in November, tells the true, autobiographical story of playwright Jonathan Larson. Based on the famous stage musical of the same name, Garfield plays Larson. The actor heartily embraced the challenge of performing in a musical. He trained for months to do justice to the story and songs.
In an interview with Variety, Garfield shared his excitement for being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. “It’s incredibly exciting. I take none of it for granted,” Garfield said. As far as the possibility of showing off his singing skills at the Oscars broadcast, Garfield said the thought had crossed his mind. “Listen, I’m available. I’m open,” he said.
But he had a unique pitch. “The last time I sang before Tick, Tick … Boom! was Will Smith’s ‘Welcome to Miami’ in karaoke,” he explained. “Maybe that’s the opening number. I know the lyrics by heart.”
Garfield and Smith are competitors at the award show
Garfield has some pretty stiff competition in the Best Actor category. Other nominees include Javier Bardem for Being the Ricardos, Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog, Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth, and, of course, Will Smith for King Richard. The nomination is Smith’s first Oscar nomination in 15 years, with his last nomination being for his leading role in 2002’s Ali.
In addition to his nomination for Best Actor, Smith also received an Oscar nod for his work as a producer on the film. “It’s six nominations total,” Smith recently told Deadline regarding all the Oscars love King Richard is receiving. “This is rarefied air for me. I’ve been nominated two other times, but it’s never been this kind of blanket love, you know?”
When can viewers watch the 2022 Oscars?
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused disruptions to the regular award show season. So viewers look forward to this year’s Academy Awards ceremony with great anticipation. The 94th Academy Awards ceremony airs on Sunday, March 27, 2022. The actual ceremony generally begins at 8:00 p.m. ET, with several hours of pre-show awards coverage. It airs on ABC this year.
Currently, the Academy hasn’t announced a host for the ceremony. The last time someone hosted the Academy Awards was in 2018. So most likely, multiple celebrities will appear as presenters and hosts as in past years. Hopefully, those tuning in for Garfield will get what they’re hoping for.
