Andrew Garfield’s Hilarious Story About a Runaway ‘We Live in Time’ Scene Proves Their Chemistry Was Never Just an Act

Few romantic dramas in recent memory have generated as much genuine warmth as ‘We Live in Time’, the A24 film that brought Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh together in a love story told across fractured, non-linear timelines. Directed by John Crowley, the film follows Almut and Tobias, two people brought together in a surprise encounter whose lives are permanently altered, as they learn to cherish every moment along the unconventional route their relationship takes.

The film earned over $55 million at the global box office after opening in October 2024, and while its screenplay and structural choices drew some criticism, reviewers were nearly unanimous in crediting the undeniable chemistry between Garfield and Pugh as the engine that kept the whole thing running. Many critics called their performances the most vulnerable and emotionally truthful work either actor had ever delivered.

As it turns out, that intimacy may have been established far earlier than the audience ever realized. Garfield opened up about one particularly unscripted behind-the-scenes moment while appearing on Happy Sad Confused at a live taping at the 92nd Street Y in New York, sitting down with host Josh Horowitz to discuss the film and sharing an account of one love scene that has since taken on a life of its own among fans online.

The scene was shot on a fully closed set, with only Garfield, Pugh, cinematographer Stuart Bentley, and a boom operator present in the room, while director John Crowley monitored things from an adjacent space next door. It was the very first take of what Garfield described as a “very intimate, passionate sex scene,” and neither he nor Pugh ever heard anyone call cut, so the two simply kept going.

Both actors, feeling safe and trusting the environment around them, moved from one beat to the next, instinctively letting the scene carry forward rather than breaking the moment to check in with the crew. Garfield later recalled that he and Pugh both seemed to sense, almost telepathically, that the take was running unusually long, yet neither of them stopped.

The reality of the situation only became clear when the pair glanced toward the camera crew and found Bentley and the boom operator standing with their backs against the wall and their heads down, having turned away out of sheer politeness rather than interrupt. The sight sent both actors into laughter, with Garfield cheerfully calling out to Crowley that he would need to project his directions considerably louder from that point on.

‘We Live in Time’ went on to rank among the most-watched films across all streaming platforms in early 2025, months after its theatrical debut, suggesting its emotional pull only grew with time. Knowing that its two leads were this genuinely unguarded with each other from the very first day on a closed set adds a layer to the film that no marketing campaign could manufacture.

Whether this revelation sends you straight back to rewatch every Almut and Tobias scene with completely different eyes or simply confirms what you always suspected about where that chemistry really came from, we’d love to hear your take in the comments.