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Andrew Garfield fights back tears in tribute to late mother who encouraged his career

Andrew Garfield reflects on grief and gratitude after losing his mother, Lynn, to cancer. The “Tick, Tick... Boom!” star spoke about his mother on TODAY.
/ Source: TODAY
By Ree Hines

Andrew Garfield’s mother, Lynn, died of pancreatic cancer just before production began on his latest film, and the actor has since dedicated his performance in “Tick, Tick... Boom!” to her.

It seems a fitting gesture, because as he explained during a visit to TODAY Monday, his career is a shining example of Lynn’s legacy.

"'I’d rather my son be happy than rich or within the status quo,'" the 38-year-old recalled his mother telling him back in the days when he was still trying to find his path in the world.

That’s why she never pressured him to pursue a practical career.

Richard Garfield, Andrew Garfield, Lynn Garfield
Andrew Garfield with his parents, father Richard Garfield and mother Lynn Garfield, at a Tony Awards after-party in 2018Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic

“I was an athlete, then I gave that up,” Garfield said of his early days. “I was studying academia, and I didn’t connect with the things that were being presented to me in this kind of provincial place that I was brought up in, in the south of England. And it was her that really saw that I was struggling and said, ‘Why don’t you look at something creative?’”

So he did that.

“I tried clay molding, and I wasn’t very good,” he said. “And I tried painting, and I wasn’t very good. Tried music and I was fine. And then the last thing I tried was theater. She kind of hung in there with me and was the first person to put me on that kind of path, so I’m indebted to her forever.”

And his love for her is just as constant.

“For me, grief is unexpressed love, and I’m never going to be able to express fully the love that I have for my mother, the gratitude that I have — that I got given the best mother around,” the Tony winner said. “It’s a never-ending (thing).”

That gratitude means he’ll continue singing her praises.

“It’s like we all leave this life with an unfinished song,” he told TODAY anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. “No matter how much of our song we get out, it’s never going to be fully done, and it was the same for my mother.”

Now he feels he’s had the chance to raise his voice for her by dedicating his performance in “Tick, Tick... Boom!” — a musical drama based on the life of late “Rent” composer and playwright Jonathan Larson — in her honor.

“I get to continue singing her song for her in my life, and I get to do it through Jon’s unfinished song, as well,” he added. “For all of us, I just — I feel very, very lucky.”

“Tick, Tick... Boom!” is open in theaters now and will be available to stream on Netflix this Friday.

Ree Hines

Ree Hines is a freelance writer and editor who covers pop culture, lifestyle stories and trending news. She’s also a soul-music loving, coffee-obsessed member of both Team Cat and Team Dog. Ree lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a regular contributor to TODAY.com.