 -- When Andrew Garfield gave his ex-girlfriend Emma Stone a standing ovation at the Golden Globes after she won the best actress award for "La La Land," it became one of the night's most talked about moments.

Now, the 33-year-old English actor is opening up about that moment.

"We care about each other so much, and that’s a given, that’s kind of this unconditional thing. There’s so much love between us and so much respect," he told Vanity Fair's "Little Gold Men" podcast. "I’m her biggest fan as an artist. So for me, it’s been bliss to be able to watch her success and watch her bloom into the actress that she is. And it’s also been wonderful to have that kind of support for each other. It’s nothing but a beautiful thing."

In fact, Garfield counts Stone among his closest friends, who, he said, keep him grounded in Hollywood. Many of those friends were with him Sunday night at the Globes.

"I was overwhelmed that I had such sincere, authentic Hollywood friends," he said about the way he felt during the Globes telecast. "Which I don't think is a common occurrence. I had about seven or eight real, true anchors in that room and in the parties following. Emma, of course, is one, Claire Foy is another, Laura Dern. Eddie Redmayne, Jonah Hill ... these are people that I actually love in a real, sincere way, and I believe they love me back. I was just struck with this deep gratitude."

Garfield also had kind words for his "Hacksaw Ridge" director Mel Gibson, saying he has "done that work, that very difficult, internal, transformative work" to improve himself after the scandals that threatened to eclipse his career.

Garfield also made headlines at the Globes for his public smooch with fellow actor Ryan Reynolds after Reynolds lost the Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy to Ryan Gosling.

A few days later, Garfield explained to ABC's "Good Morning America" what was behind the kiss.

"I said to Ryan Reynolds, ‘If you win, I think we should kiss before you go up there,’" Garfield recalled. "He was very keen on the idea, as I knew he would be. And then when he didn’t win, I was disappointed for him, but mostly I was disappointed that our plan couldn’t come to fruition. And then I said, ‘Whether you win or lose, we could still just enjoy the moment.’"