British actor Andrew Garfield has revealed that the music of Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti influenced the way he portrayed Spider-Man, including how he moved while wearing the superhero’s suit.
Garfield made the revelation while discussing the role music plays in his acting process on The Track Star Podcast, where he explained that he creates a playlist for every character he plays.
“I create a playlist for every character I play, which is a lovely fun thing to do anyway,” he said.
According to Garfield, Fela’s music became part of his preparation after he landed the role of Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man.
“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.
The actor said the influence was not limited to the rhythm of the music, but also helped him connect with the physicality and moral drive of the character.
“There was something about suddenly being in touch with the body but also justice-seeking, because obviously he was a revolutionary figure,” Garfield said.
He further explained that Fela’s music influenced his physical performance inside the Spider-Man suit.
“And the way that I moved in that film, in the suit, has some inspiration from Fela and his music,” he said.
Garfield added that he was drawn to the Nigerian musician’s sense of power and wanted to find a way of bringing some of that quality into his portrayal of the superhero.
“I was like, I don’t know what it is about this guy’s power that I want to somehow reflect in this guy’s power,” he said.
The revelation is not entirely new. During the promotion of The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012, Garfield was asked about his first experience wearing the Spider-Man suit and similarly mentioned Fela while explaining how he prepared physically for the role.
“I listened to a lot of Fela Kuti and that helped somehow,” he said at the time. He also cited athletes including Muhammad Ali and Cristiano Ronaldo as influences on the confidence, agility and physical awareness he wanted to bring to Spider-Man.
Garfield played Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), before reprising the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
The recent podcast episode, released on September 2, 2026, featured Fela’s “Water Get No Enemy” among its selected tracks.
Garfield’s comments have renewed attention on the international influence of Fela’s music, decades after the Nigerian musician’s death, showing how his sound continues to find its way into unexpected areas of popular culture.
