Andrew Garfield Clocked Ryan Gosling’s Charisma at Screen Test Years Ago: ‘Like Working with James Dean’ (Exclusive)

Garfield is now starring opposite Florence Pugh in the romance 'We Live in Time'

Andrew Garfield was mesmerized by Ryan Gosling's Kenergy nearly two decades ago.

Long before he played Spider-Man and his two Oscar nominations, young theater actor Garfield, now 41, did a screen test for a planned adaptation of Michael Chabon’s novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.

His scene partner: fellow up-and-coming actor Gosling, 43. “It felt like what I imagine it would’ve felt like working with James Dean or Marlon Brando,” Garfield tells PEOPLE. “Like an alive animal, spontaneous. That kind of style. You don't know how he's going to behave. It's inventive. It's truthful. It's messy. It's alive.”

Adds Garfield, “I was like, ‘I want to do that.’”

Related: Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield Portray a Decade of Romance in Moving We Live in Time Trailer

Since then Garfield has made his dream come true. Though the movie with Gosling never went forward, the British-American star, 41, has built a versatile career, showcasing his range in tense dramas (The Social Network), blockbuster action movies (The Amazing Spider-Man) and even a musical (Tick, Tick . . . Boom!).

All these years later, Garfield still hopes to work with the Barbie Oscar nominee.

What kind of film would he like to make with Gosling? “Anything really,” says Garfield. “I would just love to dance with him. So to speak, I just think he's a remarkable actor and I would love to do anything with him.”

“But I don't know. I have too many favorites of his to mention,” he says. “But you know, The Nice Guys is such a great film and I think what he brings to his comedic roles I find so inspiring. So I would love to maybe do something like that with him.”

He got the chance to work with another Hollywood heavyweight, Florence Pugh, on his new romance We Live in Time.

Related: Andrew Garfield Says Making New Movie We Live in Time Felt ‘Healing’ After His Mother’s Death

Garfield plays Tobias, an affable everyman whose happily-ever-after with charming chef Almut ( Pugh) is upended by her cancer diagnosis.

The actor, whose mom Lynn died from cancer in 2019, says the script spoke to him. “I read it and I was like, ‘Oh, this is just what I'm going through anyway, really,’ in a different form. It wasn't exactly what I was going through. But thematically, is what I was exploring in my life and sitting with and wondering about,” he says.

We Live in Time is playing in select theaters now before expanding on Oct. 18.

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