Andrew Garfield as late Jonathan Larson. Image Source: Film Authority 

Actor Andrew Garfield portrays the role of late composer Jonathan Larson in Netflix’s latest movie, "Tick, Tick, Boom," which is based on Jonathan Larson’s stage musical of the same name. The Netflix movie is directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda with a screenplay by Steven Levenson and also features Robin de Jess, Alexandra Shipp, Joshua Henry, Judith Light, and Vanessa Hudgens.

"Tick, Tick... Boom!" showcases the life of the late composer, who is about to turn 30 and is struggling with a creative block along with navigating through his relationships. The music legend Jonathan Larson passed away due to an aortic aneurysm at the age of 35 in 1996.

Andrew Garfield appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," where the actor shared that during the filming of the movie, he was lucky enough to sing Jonathan Larson’s unfinished song, along with singing for his late mother, whom Andrew lost in 2019. The Spider-Man actor shared with the host that working on the movie helped him to heal and sew up the wounds that were still fresh and not healed after his mother passed away.

Andrew Garfield described his mother as "the most beautiful person that I’ve experienced in my life". He further added, "It's only a beautiful thing. This is all the unexpressed love, right? The grief that will remain with us, you know, until we pass away because we never get enough time with each other, right? No matter if someone lives to 60, 15, or, you know, 99. " The actor’s father and brother were also present in the audience, and he added that he hopes that the grief of losing his mother stays within him because that is all the unexpressed love that he did not get a chance to tell her, even though they, "all told her every day she was the best of us."

The actor added, "We all know, somewhere deep down, that life is scary. Life is short, and we’d better just be here as much as possible with each other, holding onto each other. " Andrew Garfield shared with the New York Times in September that his mother passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Andrew also mentioned during his interview that he was very hesitant about sharing the news of his mother's passing away in public, but eventually decided to open up because "it is a universal experience."

Andrew Garfield added, "I've lost people before, but one's mother is a different thing. It's the person that gives you life that's no longer here. Nothing can prepare you for that kind of cataclysm."  The Social Network actor mentioned that he went back home in England while filming in the late 2019 to spend time with her. He added, "We had all the quality time we could possibly have had while she was here. And those last two weeks I got to be with her were probably the most profound two weeks of my life. To be with her and my dad and my brother, all of her friends, my nephews, It was full of grace in the midst of the terrible tragedy. "

In discussing the film, Andrew Garfield stated that he considers himself extremely fortunate to have been able to step in and honor Jonathan Larson's incredible life by singing his songs. Andrew quoted, "I’m indebted to John, and I’m indebted to Lin-Manuel Miranda. I’m indebted to everyone who’s brought me to this place, so I can honor the most beautiful person that I’ve ever experienced in my life through my art and use it as a way to heal—use it as a way to sew up the wounds." The actor also mentioned that he worked closely with vocal coach Liz Caplan for the movie, who gave him the confidence to sing.

"Tick, Tick... Boom" was released on November 19th, 2021 on Netflix and had its world premiere at AFI Fest on November 10th, 2021, and garnered a positive response from the critics.