In a clip that has gone viral since being released on Friday, Hollywood actor Andrew Garfield used his voice to speak up for oppressed Palestinians on Josh Horowitz's Sad Happy Confused podcast.
When host Horowitz asked The Amazing Spider-Man star, "Is there anything we need to manifest for you tonight?" Garfield replied, "We should be putting our energies towards something that actually mattersmaybe the lives of Palestinians in Gaza right now."
Garfield's words elicited a roar of approval from the crowd as he continued sombrely, "Maybe that's where we should put our hearts and our energy, and anyone suffering, anyone oppressed, anyone that is suffering under the weight and the horrors of our world right now, anyone who doesn't have a choice in living lives of dignity. That's where our energies should be going right now."
As well as capturing the hearts of the live audience watching the podcast, Garfield's words resonated with the online community, with fans pledging their admiration for the actor in the comments section of whichever platform the clip was played.
"Thank God I didn't have to cancel my celebrity crush," wrote one fan. "And I love to see that standing up for Palestinians no longer feels as taboo as it once was."
The sentiment was widely echoed, as another fan added, "Well said, Andrew Garfield! He knows he's going to be pilloried for this in Hollywood, but good to see him using his platform to be one of those who raised his voice."
Even those who do not willingly dole out their admiration for Hollywood stars joined in the fray. "I usually don't care about celebrities, but I just get so touched by those who use their fame and audience to get a message of resistance against oppression and standing up for human rights," captioned a user.
Others, however, questioned why Garfield's stance should be commended instead of being accepted as the baseline reaction to the atrocities unfolding in Palestine. "Why do we celebrate bare minimum?" penned a commenter. "Congratulations, you've made a decision that should be the easiest one to make. It's like thanking someone for not being racist. It should be the norm."
With his firm stance on Palestine, Garfield joins the ranks of celebrities who have spoken out against Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza for the past year. Those celebrities include Palestinian American models and sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid, Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo, Bridgerton actor Nicola Coughlan, and Wednesday actor Jenna Ortega.
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