Andrew Garfield has been one of the most consistently compelling actors of the past decade and a half. From breakout supporting turns to lead performances that require immense physical and emotional transformation, Garfield has proven himself capable of tackling just about anything. And yet, despite delivering multiple roles that easily could have earned him an Academy Award, he’s still without one. Few actors of his generation have a résumé as stacked with Oscar-worthy work in films such as The Social Network, Silence, Hacksaw Ridge, and Tick, Tick…Boom!. With his new film, After the Hunt, coming to theaters this weekend, now’s the time to look back and make it clear that Garfield should already be an Oscar winner.

When David Fincher’s The Social Network premiered in 2010, much of the attention went to Jesse Eisenberg’s cerebral portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg. But Garfield, as Eduardo Saverin, gave the film its heart. Eduardo is the audience’s entry point into a world of ambition, betrayal, and ruthless innovation. Garfield plays Eduardo as someone caught between loyalty to his friend and the realization that he’s being slowly pushed out of something he helped create. His wide-eyed hope curdles into frustration, and ultimately heartbreak, culminating in one of the film’s most memorable scenes—Eduardo confronting Mark after his shares of the company got reduced. His rage is volcanic, but underneath it is genuine devastation. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Garfield made the movie’s emotional impact. Without him, The Social Network might have been a brilliant but cold procedural. He was nominated for a Golden Globe, but the Oscars ignored him. Looking back, it’s baffling—his performance stands as one of the best supporting turns of the 2010s and deserved a nomination, if not the win.

In 2016, Garfield took on one of the most demanding roles of his career in Martin Scorsese’s Silence. Playing Father Rodrigues, a Jesuit priest searching for his mentor in 17th-century Japan, Garfield delivered a performance that was at once spiritual, physical, and deeply internal. The film asked enormous things of him: he had to embody the endurance of torture, the slow erosion of faith, and the paradox of clinging to belief while feeling abandoned by God. Garfield prepared for the role by undergoing spiritual exercises with Jesuit priests, and that commitment shows in every frame.

His gaunt appearance mirrored his character’s suffering, but it was his eyes that told the real story—eyes that wavered between conviction and despair. Though Silence didn’t find a huge audience, Garfield’s work in it is one of the most raw and haunting performances of the 2010s. In the climactic scene where Father Rodrigues is forced to choose between his faith and the lives of five Christians, you can see the struggle he must face and ultimately the reluctant acceptance when he hears the voice of Jesus telling him to abandon his faith. If the Academy truly values transformation and courage in acting, this should have been a defining Oscar role. Instead, it was overlooked entirely, another case of Garfield’s best work not lining up with the Academy’s spotlight.

The same year as Silence, Garfield starred in Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge, finally earning his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Playing real-life medic Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who served in World War II without ever carrying a weapon, Garfield gave a performance that was equal parts humble and heroic. What makes the role so powerful is Garfield’s ability to convey quiet conviction. Doss isn’t a traditional war hero who charges into battle; his bravery stems from his unwavering commitment to his beliefs, even when he is mocked, ridiculed, and threatened. Garfield captured that inner strength perfectly, playing Doss as a man whose faith fuels his courage. The battle sequences are grueling, and Garfield sells the horror of them without ever losing sight of Doss’s humanity. His constant pleas for survival while saving fellow soldiers are some of the most gut-wrenching moments in any modern war film.

Garfield lost the Oscar to Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea, and possibly to Ryan Gosling for La La Land, if Affleck hadn’t. While they were strong, some may argue that Garfield’s transformation into Doss—and the unique kind of heroism he embodied—was more deserving. It’s tough to say who was the more deserving winner between Garfield and Gosling, as they both had career-defining years in their respective movies. If you were to ask me who I think, my answer would flip back and forth depending on the day.

If there was ever a moment when Garfield should have walked away with an Oscar, and there’s no doubt in my mind about it, it was for Tick, Tick…Boom! in 2021. Playing the role of Rent creator Jonathan Larson, Garfield not only acted but also sang, danced, and captured the restless energy of an artist racing against time. What makes the performance extraordinary is how fully Garfield disappears into Larson’s skin. He conveys the manic joy of creation, the anxiety of failure, and the frustration of being misunderstood. His physicality is electric—every gesture, every note sung feels charged with purpose. And the emotional depth is staggering: in quieter moments, Garfield reveals Larson’s insecurities, vulnerability, and desperation to leave something behind.

It’s the kind of performance that defines a career. Garfield trained for months to sing, and the result wasn’t just convincing—it was transcendent. He made the audience believe in Larson’s genius while also showing the human cost of that drive. Critics hailed it as the best work of his life, and it earned him his second Best Actor nomination. Yet again, he lost—this time to Will Smith for King Richard. The controversy surrounding that win only deepened the sense that Garfield had been robbed. Whether it’s about the performances or the slap heard around the world, Garfield was, by and large, the better man. I even bet that if the Academy knew what they know now, they’d give it to him instead of Smith.

Taken together, these four performances paint a clear picture: Garfield has already delivered the kind of work that, in most cases, earns actors their first Oscar and then some. The Social Network should have landed him a supporting nod. Silence should have cemented him as one of the greats of his generation. Hacksaw Ridge was nomination-worthy and deserved to win. And Tick, Tick…Boom! was the crowning achievement of his career to date—a performance so alive and so unforgettable that it’s hard to believe the Academy passed him over. Part of the issue is timing. The Academy sometimes rewards narratives as much as performances (Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant as an example), and Garfield hasn’t yet benefited from the “it’s his time” momentum. Instead, he has been competing against other industry favorites or caught in years when bigger campaign pushes overshadowed his work. However, if the Oscars are truly about honoring artistry, craft, and commitment, Garfield’s missing statue is one of their most significant oversights.

Andrew Garfield is more than just a talented actor; he’s a transformative one. His performances in The Social Network, Silence, Hacksaw Ridge, and Tick, Tick…Boom! are not just highlights of his career, but some of the best performances of their respective years. Each one demanded something different: the wounded loyalty of Eduardo Saverin, the spiritual torment of Father Rodrigues, the humble conviction of Desmond Doss, and the fiery genius of Jonathan Larson. Garfield not only met those challenges—he exceeded them. By now, he should already have an Oscar. Instead, he remains one of the most glaring omissions in recent Academy history. The hope is that his time will still come, and it almost certainly will. But when it does, it won’t feel like the Academy finally caught up—it will feel like long overdue recognition.

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