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We Live in Time star Andrew Garfield unpacked the chaotic birth sequence from his nonlinear romantic dramedy, which featured a weeks-old baby who pooped on his hand and an action movie-feel where his self-described scene partner was colleague Florence Pugh‘s butt.
In a new interview with The New York Times that zeroes in on the making of one of the A24 film’s most frenzied scenes, Garfield explained that the shooting process felt high-stakes.
“It’s the big action event,” the Academy Award-nominated actor said. “It’s the Indiana Jones sequence.”
In the film — which traces the years-long romance between Garfield’s earnest salesman Tobias and Pugh’s witty chef Almut amid illness, career and life milestones — standstill traffic, unlucky timing and a lack of better options forces a labor to take place in a gas station bathroom. To properly depict the scene, inspired by screenwriter Nick Payne’s worrying of his wife’s birthing experience, director John Crowley recreated a petrol station’s bathroom on a soundstage, where filming lasted for two days and was shot entirely through eight times.
Though a doll was used for blocking, a weeks-old baby was brought in for the ending moment following the successful birth, which also featured two comical workers caught up in the mix (played by scene-stealers Nikhil Parmar and Kerry Godliman).
Of the baby’s natural bodily functions, Garfield didn’t mind, saying, “Honestly, those moments were the most beautiful because you’re just like, ‘Oh God, this is life, what a privilege.'”
While The Social Network actor said he didn’t want to feel too informed going into the scene, given Tobias’ sense of overwhelm in the moment, he was cautious and deliberate about the overall intimacy of the scene, which he and Pugh processed together afterward.
“I was mostly acting with Florence’s bum,” Garfield said. “So I really wanted to make sure that she felt safe and felt tended to and cared for.”
