Fela Kuti inspired Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield, who says the Nigerian Afrobeat legend influenced his movement and approach to playing Peter Parker
Andrew Garfield, the actor who portrayed Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man films, has revealed that Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti influenced the way he understood and physically portrayed Spider-Man.
Garfield made the revelation in an interview clip shared by entertainment platform T.U.E. on X on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, explaining that he turned to Fela’s music while preparing for the superhero role.
The actor said he creates playlists for the characters he plays, using music as part of his preparation and a way of finding the emotional and physical qualities of a role.
“When I first got Spider-Man, I started listening to Fela,” Garfield said.
He explained that something about the rhythm and sound of Fela’s music helped him connect with the character.
Garfield also said the influence extended beyond his emotional preparation, affecting the way he moved while wearing the Spider-Man suit.
“The way I moved in the suit has some inspiration from Fela and his music,” he said.
The actor’s connection with Fela went deeper than rhythm and movement.
Garfield said the Nigerian musician’s revolutionary outlook also helped him understand Spider-Man’s commitment to justice.
“Fela was a revolutionary figure,” he said, linking the musician’s activism with the superhero’s determination to challenge injustice.
Fela, who died in 1997 at the age of 58, remains one of Nigeria’s most influential musical figures.
He pioneered Afrobeat, combining jazz, funk and traditional West African rhythms with politically charged lyrics.
His music frequently confronted corruption, military rule, inequality and political oppression in Nigeria, while his performances and public activism made him a prominent critic of successive governments.
Garfield’s comments offer an unusual but striking connection between Fela’s politically charged music and the fictional world of Spider-Man.
For Garfield, the music appears to have provided a way to capture something beyond the mechanics of playing a superhero.
The rhythm helped shape movement, while Fela’s rebellious spirit offered a reference point for a character whose story is deeply connected to responsibility and standing up against wrongdoing.
Garfield first played Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012 before reprising the role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.
He later returned as Peter Parker alongside Tom Holland and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021.
His latest revelation adds another layer to a performance that has continued to attract interest years after his original appearance as the Marvel superhero.
It also highlights the enduring reach of Fela’s artistic legacy, with the Nigerian icon’s music continuing to find audiences and creative influence well beyond the Afrobeat tradition he helped establish.
