Andrew Garfield‘s appearance on Sesame Street, where he talks to Elmo about his grief over his mother’s death, has gone viral.
Garfield lost his mother Lynn to pancreatic cancer in 2019 around the time he was filming The Eyes of Tammy Faye and shortly before starting pre-production on Tick Tick… Boom!
He recently stopped by Sesame Street and his moving conversation about grief with Elmo has spread widely on social media, shared by people touched by his words about loss.
“Elmo is going around Sesame Street, checking in on everybody. So, Elmo wants to know how Andrew is doing?” Elmo asked the actor.
“I’m just thinking about my mum today. You know, she passed away not too long ago, and I just miss her — I miss her a lot,” Garfield replied.
Elmo is here to listen. Elmo loves you, Mr. Andrew Garfield! #EmotionalWellBeing pic.twitter.com/rW86tR5Gof
— Elmo (@elmo) October 18, 2024
Elmo told Garfield he’s sorry for his loss, but Garfield explained that he doesn’t need to feel sorry because it’s okay to miss somebody who’s no longer around.
“In a way, it kind of means that you really loved someone when you miss them. And when I miss my mum, I remember all the cuddles I used to get from her, all the hugs I used to get from her. It makes me feel close to her when I miss her in a strange way,” he said.
“So I’m happy to have all the memories of my mum and the joy she brought me and the joy she brought my brother and my dad and everyone she has ever met — everyone around her. So when I miss her, it’s because she made me so happy, so I can celebrate her and I can miss her at the same time,” he continued.
Elmo replied: “Elmo wants to know how people are doing and Elmo is very happy that you shared that with him. And you know what? Elmo is going to think about and celebrate your mummy, too.”
Elmo has been known in recent times to try and encourage people to talk about their wellbeing. In January, he asked users on X/Twitter about how they were doing, which prompted a torrent of anguished responses.
“Elmo I’m suffering from existential dread over here,” wrote one user [via BBC].
“Every morning, I cannot wait to go back to sleep. Every Monday, I cannot wait for Friday to come. Every single day and every single week for life,” another wrote.
Even celebrities joined in, with actress Rachel Zegler saying she was “resisting the urge to tell Elmo that I am kinda sad”.
In other news, Garfield recently came out in support of Mel Gibson, saying the actor-director “deserves to make films” despite his past controversies.
For a Movies of My Life feature in the new issue of PEOPLE, Garfield reflected on several of his films, including the 2016 WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge, which was directed by Gibson.
Asked what he learned from working with the Oscar-winning Braveheart director, Garfield said: “I learned a lot, actually. I learned that people can heal. I learned that people can change, that people can get help. I learned that everyone deserves respect. And that people deserve second chances, third chances, fourth chances. That none of us are infallible.”
Before making Hacksaw Ridge, which told the story of a pacifist soldier who refused to carry a gun while serving in the army, the Jewish actor said he had “deep, important conversations” with Gibson, who made anti-Semitic statements when he was arrested for a DUI in 2006.
“He’s done a lot of beautiful healing with himself,” Garfield added. “And thank God. Because he’s an amazing filmmaker, and I think he deserves to make films. He deserves to tell stories, because he has a very, very big, compassionate heart.”
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