Recently, I was invited – along with a few other San Francisco-based journalists – to sit down and talk to Andrew Garfield about his role in David Fincher’s latest film, The Social Network. In the movie, which chronicles the founding and growth of Facebook, Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of the site. Read on as he talks about Fincher’s direction, Aaron Sorkin’s script as well as his staring role in Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man reboot.

Ultimately the script is always “the Bible” and that’s what you really take your cues from, but what did your research entail outside of the script, if any?

It’s not always the Bible, sometimes the script’s just the worst part of the experience. In this case it was the Bible, and it’s rightly so. I don’t know if you got a chance to read it – find a bootleg copy online or anything – but it’s a novel, man. It’s like- [Sorkin] is just brilliant, as you can tell.

Of course, outside of that there’s a bunch of stuff to be aware of and to embody and stand within. Which is starting from scratch. Eduardo was born in Brazil and he was brought up in Miami and he went to an Ivy League school – Harvard. So all of that stuff, which is foreign to me, had to become less foreign to me. Somehow. So I started with that. You know, not just working on an accent, but working on what that kind of cultural impact does to your body, does to your relationships and how you interact with people and your value-system.

And thinking about his dad, this really successful businessman, and the pressures that entails. I can relate to that because my dad is also a businessman. A very kind of successful and motivated one. So you find the parallels and then you find the stuff you actually need to find and access. Stuff you maybe didn’t know you had within you.

What’s great about acting is that, underneath the ego and the id, everything about a human being is the same as everyone else. We are all made up of the same things. So, as long as you go in with that kind of attitude and perspective, which is difficult because you go, “I’ve got to reach for this and I’ve got to try and grow a beard. And if I haven’t got a beard then I’m not going to be able to do this.” Or whatever. We’re all the same. We’re all made up of the same things. When we’re born we’re all screaming and crying – and laughing occasionally – it’s all the same. So, with that perspective, you feel a bit reassured and then you can kind of feel a bit more comfortable to play someone that may or may not be a bit further from you.

About the script, about the rhythm of an Aaron Sorkin script and how the lines have to be said in a certain way. It’s very fast-paced. There’s a lot of overlapping dialogue. Was that something that came naturally to you or was that something you had to work for? Especially when you’re putting on another accent to do it.

When you do an accent it’s- the idea for me is to not put it on it’s to actually make it second nature to yourself so that your ear is used to it. Because, if my ear isn’t used to a different way of speaking, then how is anyone else’s going to be convinced that I am that person. So, that was kind of my first thing: making sure I didn’t stop speaking in it. To make sure that my own ear was trained and ready- it wasn’t “surprised.”

The other part, the rhythm of the “Sorkinian” language- you just don’t get in the way of it. Like Shakespeare or like Chekov or any of the great playwrights; I consider him in that bracket. I really do.

An actor wants to put his own mark on something, but that’s your ego and you don’t need that. So you just try not to get in the way of these beautiful sequences of thoughts that have been expressed so deftly and seeped with subtext. It’s all there. It’s all in the script. All you have to do is be truthful in that situation and allow the thoughts to turn into words, and allow the words to turn into actions. He is brilliant.

It’s hard because part of you just wants to be really really good, but that means your focus is on the wrong thing. If you just honor what’s been written, as long as it’s good – which in this case it was very good – then you’re taken care of. You’re kind of “lifted” by the words. You’re taken by the words; the ride is in motion and you just need to jump on and allow it to drive you.

As an actor, what do you look for in your directors to make you feel more comfortable on set?

First of all, I think to trust someone’s taste. To trust that person’s taste because they are ultimately going to be telling the story in the way that they want to tell it. Adjusting your performance to them, because you really have no control over your performance really. Unless you sabotage certain takes that you’re not happy with, which I’ve never done. (laughs) I should probably learn to do that.

If you can trust the person steering the ship, that’s a plus. Of course, with David Fincher – if you’re a fan of his films – you can trust him. So, trust.

Also, someone who works hard; someone who pushes you and takes you somewhere you didn’t think of going. Someone who challenges you, whether or not they’re right.

Also, a playfulness or a willingness to fail. Not feeling like you have to impress someone constantly. That openness is a rare gift. We had so many takes we were able to just mess up a lot. As young actors, it’s such an important thing to be able to look foolish in front of a crew. To feel comfortable enough to mess up like that is so liberating.

Once you understand that, in art, nothing is perfect. There’s no such thing as the perfect performance or the perfect painting, and that you’re going to hate a Van Gough and I’m going to love it. As soon as you understand that, you can really explore and delve more into your own chaos and see what comes up. As opposed to mechanically trying to get things right, which is restrictive and diminishing of the potential.

Fincher has a reputation of being a very hands-on director. What was your working relationship like with him specifically?

He is very hands-on, and he knows what he wants, but he allows you to find it yourself. He doesn’t dictate what he wants; as soon as he sees something he likes, he’s like, “Keep that. Try that. Maybe try this. Maybe.”

We do so many takes that he wants you to feel your way through, but also like grind yourself into the ground as well. Until you have a rebirth in take-55 where you remember where you are and you go, “Oh! Maybe this is an element that I haven’t thought about. That’s fantastic!”

That’s a luxury that I’ve never had, and I don’t think many people have ever had on a film set – apart from people who have worked with him. And Kubrick. So it’s just a wonderful gift for an actor.

The relationship between Eduardo and Mark, the movie is about sort of a decline in their friendship-

It’s a love-affair, yeah. I’m his girlfriend.

(laughs) Do you think Eduardo trusted Mark too much? At the same time, do you think Mark took advantage of Eduardo?

I can’t really speak from my own perspective, I can only speak from Eduardo’s perspective. I think Eduardo gets- obviously there’s this massive betrayal, and within that betrayal he loses his innocence and realizes that you never fully know someone. The only person you ever fully know is yourself and even then you don’t really.

I don’t want to say he trusts too much, because what a beautiful quality that would be: to trust too much. I think that’s a wonderful thing, but a scary thing because he loses – not so much the money – but he loses his faith in people. From his perspective, this was his best friend. For someone to be betrayed in that respect it’s like, how could someone be so callous? It’s confusing and upsetting.

We’ve all been there. Everyone has been betrayed. In a minor way. In a major way. Everyone goes through that.

At the same time, there’s two sides to every story. I just can’t see both sides because I’ve lived through Eduardo’s perspective. So, of course, through my perspective, Mark took massive advantage of Eduardo – within this story. I can only talk within the story of the film that we made.

But yeah, I’m mad at him! It’s really upsetting because, from my perspective, Eduardo is this big brother figure to Mark. He’s a caring presence and a warm, Latin, inclusive, family-oriented presence. I see something in Mark that no one else sees. I see a warmth in him and a goodness in him. I see a potential and a sweetness. Maybe I was wrong to. I don’t know. It’s interesting.

Obviously you can’t speak to the lawsuit in real life, but in the context of the film, what do you think Eduardo is looking for from the lawsuit? Aside from financial compensation.

For me, it wasn’t about the money. It was about teaching Mark a lesson. That’s just me playing the role; I have no idea about the reality of the situation. From my perspective, it was like – you know that confusion when you’re broken up with and you have no idea why? It’s infuriating.

A lack of closure?

Yeah. Eduardo comes into that deposition primarily just utterly upset and confused and wanting to know – wanting to understand – how someone could be so callous and so cruel. Wanting to understand how his perspective could be so different from someone else’s perspective.

Secondarily, he wants to teach him a lesson. He wants to say, “That’s not how you treat people where I’m from. This is not the way the world should be. You’re adding a toxicity to the world and I’m not going to allow you to do that. I don’t care about the money, but if me taking a bunch of money away from you is going to teach you to be a better person…” It’s a prideful motive. It felt noble.

I still really care about Mark in the end. I still really want him to be my best friend. That kind of brotherhood can never be cut off. I don’t know if Eduardo and Mark are still in touch – I think they are a little bit.

During the deposition, there are times where Eduardo actually defends Mark’s character. Even though they’re going at it, there’s still a sympathy. Do those positive qualities that Eduardo sees in Mark actually exist, or do those moments speak more to Eduardo’s character as being a very forgiving, loving person?

I can only speak subjectively about it. That’s an interesting question, I don’t know. He’s an optimist in terms of human beings. He looks at someone in all of their positivity, rather than focusing on the holes in it. I think he’s just hoping Mark is going to just go, “Look. I’m really really sorry! I really messed up. I love you so much. I was just jealous of you and acted out. Let’s be friends again. I’ll give you as much money as you want. Let’s move in together and we’ll play basketball everyday. And we’ll cuddle at night and watch reality TV!”

That’s part of Eduardo in those depositions. He’s just waiting for that moment. He doesn’t want to give into the fact that human beings can just be terrible and horrific and can act out of selfishness in a really extreme way.

Also, I wanted to ask, soon you’re going to be playing an iconic character: Spider-Man. I was wondering what your exposure to that character was, prior to landing the role.

I love every aspect of the legacy and the mythology of that symbol. It’s always meant a great deal to me. I’m really excited and honored to step into it. I’m going to work really hard at it. It’s really cool. I’m really excited.

The Social Network opens everywhere this Friday, October 1.