British actor Andrew Garfield has shared that the music and revolutionary spirit of Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti shaped how he portrayed Spider-Man.
The comments come from an appearance on the Track Star show released September 2, 2026. In the segment, Garfield discussed creating character-specific playlists as part of his preparation process. When he was first cast as Peter Parker, Fela’s music became part of that process.
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Music as His Character Preparation
“I create a playlist for every character I play, which is a lovely, fun thing to do anyway. So I started listening to Fela Kuti when I first got Spider-Man, and there was something about the sound and the rhythm that was really useful to me for that character,” he said.
Garfield linked the influence to both physicality and character. He says the rhythms helped him feel more connected to his body in the role. Fela’s status as a revolutionary figure also resonated with Spider-Man’s sense of justice and responsibility.
“There was something about suddenly being in touch with the body, but also justice-seeking, because obviously he was a revolutionary figure,” Garfield explained.
He added that the influence showed up in movement:
“And the way that I moved in that film, in the suit, has some inspiration from Fela and his music.”
Garfield noted being drawn to the power in Fela’s music and wanting to reflect some of that quality in the superhero.
The track featured in the segment was Fela’s “Water No Get Enemy,” which was from the 1975 album Expensive Shit.
Garfield first played Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its 2014 sequel, later returning in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
He mentioned listening to Fela during preparation for the earlier films, as far back as 2012 interviews, describing it as helping with confidence, agility, and comfort in the suit, alongside other physical references such as athletes.
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