Andrew Garfield offers his thoughts on what The Social Network is really about. The 2010 David Fincher movie tells the story of Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook, which became a massive social media empire. Garfield played Eduardo Saverin, who is known for being a co-founder of Facebook with Zuckerberg. In addition to Garfield, The Social Network features a leading cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara, Bryan Barter, Dustin Fitzsimons, and Joseph Mazzello.
In an interview with GQ, Garfield explains what he thinks The Social Network is really about. In a lengthy explanation, Garfield begins by breaking down the relationship between Eduardo and Mark in the film. The actor described the relationship as a “one-sided love, brotherhood relationship.” He felt the relationship portrayed a phenomenon experienced by “the majority of human beings.” In addition to the Eduardo and Mark portion of The Social Network, he also discussed the film’s themes of holding multiple truths at once when displaying different perspectives. Check out the full quote from Garfield below:
I didn’t realize it was going to be so heartbreaking. You know, because on the page you could think ‘Oh well this is just a guy that’s been f-cked out of a bunch of money.’ But I think what makes it meaningful and impactful is that it’s a one-sided love, brotherhood relationship. It’s a guy that’s holding space for his friend to show up in the way he believes he can. He was just deluded all along, it turns out, and I think the majority of human beings have been in that situation, where they believe in someone’s capacity and ‘I see beauty in you and I know that you are in there. And other people just can’t see it but I’m going to hang in there and tease it out of you.’ And then you realize ‘Oh wait a minute, I’ve wasted so much energy and time because this person was always going to be exactly as they are. That’s on me.’ Like, that’s like, there’s really no betrayal really. Like the signs were there. And I don’t think Jesse plays him as a sociopath, I think Jesse plays him as someone actually full of longing, someone full of insecurity, someone full of fallibility and ego. A young egotistical guy who is driven by things that are self-serving ultimately. And I think what I love about Aaron and his writing is that he wanted to make a film in the vein of Kurosawa’s Rashomon, which is one event from four different perspectives. And every single one of them is true. So I think the Winklevoss twins have a true narrative, Eduardo has a true narrative, Mark has a true narrative, his first girlfriend has a true narrative. Everyone’s narrative is real and true. And that’s kind of the terrible thing about being a human being, whose more right than the other? And there’s no such thing as more right than the other, unless you’re talking about objective, factual things.
What This Means For The Social Network
The Social Network Has Deep Themes
Garfield brings up a lot of key themes in his statement about The Social Network. The Rashomon-esque nature of the film is one particularly compelling element in that it reveals a lot about screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s sensibilities for the film. Penning multiple Oscar-nominated screenplays, including Moneyball and Molly’s Game, Sorkin is known for the quality of his dialogue and the depth of his writing. In just a single movie, the screenwriter tasked himself with conveying immense depth in order to realize the kind of theming that Garfield is talking about.
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The actor also provides some deep insights into his own character in The Social Network. A casual viewer might easily view Mark’s actions towards Eduardo as a betrayal, as Garfield notes. According to the actor’s interpretation, however, Eduardo’s narrative is more about the consequences of what happens when one puts too much faith in someone who does not deserve that level of respect. This kind of analysis of Eduardo’s character further showcases the depth of Sorkin’s script.
Andrew Garfield’s Quote Helps Contexualize The Social Network’s Legacy
The Social Network Is Still Well-Regarded Today
Even today, The Social Network has a reputation for being one of the best films of its era. Its Rotten Tomatoes score holds up, as it has an 87% Popcornmeter among audiences. I think Garfield’s quote is a great display of why The Social Network has held up so well after so many years. It is not just the Facebook movie, but a well-thought-out meditation on the human experience, and the fallibility of relationships. In that, The Social Network does still hold up today, and Garfield’s statement indicates that there is a lot to be interpreted from the film.
Source: GQ / YouTube
David Fincher’s The Social Network chronicles the birth of Facebook and the rise of tech mogul Mark Zuckerberg. Following Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) as he creates his famous social network along with his friend and investor Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). As Facebook’s popularity grows, Zuckerberg faces legal action from former friends, with The Social Network following his journey from an innovative young student to a titan of industry.
- Release Date
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October 1, 2010
- Studio(s)
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Columbia Pictures
, Relativity Media
, Scott Rudin Productions
, Michael De Luca Productions
, Trigger Street Productions - Distributor(s)
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Sony Pictures Releasing
- Runtime
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120 minutes
- Budget
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$40 Million
