TORONTO — Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield made the most emotionally devastating, tender and well-rounded movie of their careers. But what made “We Live in Time” go viral? A horse.
“We Live in Time,” directed by John Crowley, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend. In it, Pugh and Garfield play a couple whose life together is not told chronologically, but includes meeting, falling in love, having a child and battling cancer.
The film, which will be released in theaters on A24 on October 11, depicts some of the most fundamental aspects of life, with Pugh and Garfield giving exceptionally vivid performances.
When the first photo from the film was released, it showed the two of them spinning on a carousel, which is the most joyous scene in the film. But at the bottom of the frame was a yellow carousel with cartoonishly crooked eyebrows on it.
The internet immediately went to work. One post was viewed nearly 50 million times. Stephen Colbert made it a segment on his Late Show. Countless reposts followed.
When Pugh and Garfield sat down for an interview the day after its premiere, the conversation inevitably turned to the runaway meme and the horse, which is featured very briefly in the film. Here are their comments, straight from… well, you know.
Garfield: What do you think about the horse?
Pugh: I’m just so grateful that it’s not actually in the movie.
Garfield: It’s in the movie. It was there.
Pugh: No, it doesn’t. It had a head. It didn’t have eyes. I was waiting for that.
Garfield: Dude, there it was. I’m sorry.
PUGH: When?
Garfield: In that scene when we were on that thing. I promise you.
Pugh: I don’t think it was. I heard you laugh.
Garfield: It was just for a glimpse. Am I wrong?
Pugh: I don’t think it was in the movie, babe.
Garfield: Can’t argue with that, baby.
Pugh: Well, maybe it wasn’t in the movie as much as it was in the movie. But I was very concerned when it got on the Internet. It was very funny, and it was funny. But that part of the movie is my favorite part of the movie. It’s when they say: OK, let’s go. Let’s go on a date. Let’s have sex. Let’s get pregnant. Let’s just do it.
Garfield: And then the horse steals the show!
Pugh: And I was just so worried that that wonderful, gorgeous, shining moment would be ruined by this horse meme — which was ridiculous, of course. But I thought, “No! Not at that point in the movie.” So I think last night I was very grateful that it didn’t end up doing whatever it was doing in that picture, which is ruin it.
Garfield: Man, I love the horse meme. I was about to go into solitary confinement for six days where I wouldn’t have my phone. And I saw this image for our movie that had been released. And I saw the horse. And I was like, “Wow, that’s an interesting choice.” I don’t know, did I approve of it? I’m pretty sure Florence didn’t approve of it.
PUGH: You know, it didn’t get approved.
Garfield: .So I looked and thought, “Oh, that’s an option, man.” Ah, I’m sure I’m the only one to notice it.” Turn off my phone for six days. When I’m in the departure lounge, where I’m coming back from, I finally turn my phone on. And it’s just this horse meme. I was wrong. People noticed it. And Colbert noticed it and did a whole monologue about it. Honestly, I was crying.
Pugh: I loved “The Shining.” It was fantastic. “BoJack Horseman.”
Garfield: And the one where we all have horse faces. I saved some of my favorite pictures. Actually, I’m not going to open my pictures right now.
Pugh: What’s on your phone?
Garfield: Just a lot of dick pics. My own. Delete it.
Pugh: I didn’t know you could get press like that. I didn’t know you could say something derogatory and say, “Cut.” What’s worse is they have pictures of you next to them of your horse.
Garfield: Yeah, it looks like the proportions are messed up.
PUGH: Jesus Christ, Andrew.
Garfield: What, you tripped me up.
Pugh: Did you hear our publicists sigh? Please don’t cut it. He must be punished. He will never do it again.
Garfield: I’ll do that, that’s the problem. I’m never satisfied when it comes to stupidity.
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