Why Andrew Garfield Says Billionaires Should Be “Scared Sh**less” by ‘The Uprising’

Andrew Garfield in 'The Uprising'  

Andrew Garfield in 'The Uprising' Courtesy of Everett Collection  

In the movie 'The Uprising,' Andrew Garfield's character is fighting against a king, but he also says that billionaires should be really scared by the film.

During a recent Q&A with director Paul Greengrass, Garfield talked about why he thinks the movie should be a warning for the world’s richest people.

'The Uprising' is based on a real rebellion that inspired the legend of Robin Hood.Garfield plays Ploughman, a man who starts an army to fight against the unfair rule of King Richard II and to fight for justice.

When asked what he hopes people take away from the movie, the actor said, "First, I hope they come and see it.

But secondly, I hope it's galvanizing.I hope there's some awakening that people feel, that they feel like their own struggles are being reflected in the struggles of these characters from a distant time and place, and that it could be directive.And I hope that if any billionaires watch it, they're scared shitless."  

The moderator later quoted a line from the film: "There will be no peace until we are healed." In response, Greengrass said that the phrase is "true of today as it was 600 years ago, for sure."  

Garfield added, "I'm going to include the billionaires in that as well, because they're the ones that might be the most soul sick.

They're the ones that might need the healing the most in a way."  

Although 'The Uprising' is set in 14th-century England, the film's themes about the abuse of power and how the underclass is treated seem to resonate with Garfield.

He told Esquire last month, "The truth of that period of time was that there were brutal conditions for working-class people, brutal taxation after the plague, poor government, abusive practices, with the underclass being seen as sub-human creatures from the perspective of those in power."  

When asked if those conditions could apply to today's world, Garfield said, "Yeah, here and in the United States, and all around the world."  

He continued, "One of the things that's cool about this film is that it's a bit of a Rorschach Test.

A lot of differently politically aligned people will go, 'Oh, it's me!'" We get into really dicey territory — and to not see the [British far-right activist] Tommy Robinson stuff as anything but despicable is just ignorant — but I'm sure a bunch of people will look at this film and go, 'England first!What about us?' It'll be very interesting in that regard."  

He later added, "What was inspiring and exciting in the making of [the film] was this possibility of justice, this possibility of healing."  

The Uprising hits theaters on Sept.

10.