Hollywood actor Andrew Garfield has opened up about his complicated relationship with the Christian faith and accused President-elect Donald Trump of not being a "real Christian".
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Garfield shared that prior to starring in the Martin Scorsese movie Silence, in which he plays the role of a Jesuit priest and missionary, he had no relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, he was "pantheist, agnostic, occasionally atheist and a little bit Jewish, but mostly confused".
However, after studying to be a Jesuit priest for a year and examining Christian writings to prepare for the film, Jesus became more than a "frontman for Christianity" to the actor - in fact, he began to "adore" Him.
Today, Garfield's New York-based coach, Father James Martin, continues to be his spiritual adviser, guiding the actor in his own "very specific relationship with Jesus", he revealed.
The actor said he's not quite willing to embrace Christianity, however, "I'm always having a crisis of faith, with everything," he said. "People who are certain are terrifying to me. That's how religious wars get started."
Based on his understanding of Christianity, the actor, who recently starred in Hacksaw Ridge - another faith-based film - said he does not believe Trump is a "real Christian" and accused the President-elect of using faith as a political ploy.
"It's all a ruse," Garfield said. "How can that not be clear to everybody? When the pope says that Jesus Christ was about building bridges, not building walls. And then Donald Trump bashes the pope - in effect, he bashes Jesus Christ."
As reported, Silence premiered at the Vatican, Scorsese said Pope Francis had jokingly recommended Garfield be ordained as a priest.
The film, which hit theaters December 23, tells the story of two Portuguese Jesuit priests, played by Garfield and Adam Driver, who face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor Liam Neeson, who renounced the faith under torture at the hands of the Japanese regime.
The Guardian notes that the theme of the film, which was shot entirely in Taipei, Taiwan, is close to the pontiff's heart: When Francis was young, he joined a Jesuit order with the aim of becoming a missionary in Asia. However, he was unable to serve as a missionary due to health problems.
