Andrew Garfield Just Shared The Most Heartwarming Chat With Elmo, And You Might Need A Tissue
by Raven Ishak · BuzzFeedWhile promoting his latest film, We Live in Time, Andrew Garfield has been opening up about incredibly vulnerable topics that he has personally experienced, such as grief, love, and loss.
According to the A24 website, We Live in Time is about a couple (Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh) going through challenging and heartwarming life moments after being brought together through a surprise encounter.
Although most of his interviews for the film have involved his scene partner, Florence Pugh, he went to Sesame Street Friday morning to have a deep and thoughtful conversation with Elmo, which was posted on Elmo's social media accounts, and it nearly broke my heart.
The video starts with Elmo going up to "Mr. Andrew" to see how he's doing. "Elmo is going around Sesame Street, checking in on everybody. So, Elmo wants to know how Andrew is doing?"
After Andrew expresses gratitude for being so happy to see Elmo, he openly admits that he's doing okay. Elmo, being the kind little kid that he is, presses Andrew to see what's going on by reassuring him that he would love to listen to him.
Andrew begins by saying, "I'm just thinking about my mum today. You know, she passed away not too long ago, and I just miss her — I miss her a lot."
Andrew Garfield's mom sadly passed away in 2019 from pancreatic cancer.
While Elmo apologizes for Andrew's loss, Andrew tells Elmo that he doesn't have to apologize because it's actually okay to miss somebody.
After Elmo says, "You know, Elmo always feels really sad when he misses somebody," Andrew further explains that the sadness Elmo feels is kind of a gift — a lovely thing to feel. "In a way, it kind of means that you really loved someone when you miss them. And when I miss my mum, I remember all the cuddles I used to get from her, all the hugs I used to get from her. It makes me feel close to her when I miss her in a strange way," he said.
"So I'm happy to have all the memories of my mum and the joy she brought me and the joy she brought my brother and my dad and everyone she has ever met — everyone around her. So when I miss her, it's because she made me so happy, so I can celebrate her and I can miss her at the same time," he continued.
Elmo immediately added that he really loved what Andrew said, and Andrew complimented Elmo that he listens really well. "Elmo wants to know how people are doing and Elmo is very happy that you shared that with him. And you know what? Elmo is going to think about and celebrate your mummy, too."
Naturally, this made Andrew very happy to hear, but he wanted to share a secret with Elmo: "Elmo was my mummy's favorite," he whispered. Elmo got so excited to hear this that he asked Andrew for a hug and they both told each other that they loved one another.
After this beautiful conversation, Elmo looked directly into the camera and told the audience that they were going to celebrate all the important and special people the audience misses, too.
As someone who lost their mom at a young age, like Andrew, it was so incredibly heartwarming to see a kid's program like Sesame Street talk about grief in this way. Not only did Andrew perfectly articulate what it's like to live with grief and how missing someone who has passed can weirdly make us feel closer to them when they're no longer here, but it was also amazing to hear Elmo validating Andrew's experience and expressing that he was going to celebrate Andrew's mummy, too.
While everyone's journey with grief is different, I believe one of the biggest misconceptions about grief is that people who lost loved ones don't want to talk about them because it will cause them great pain — when, in fact, it is the opposite most of the time.
Talking about late loved ones can keep their memory and legacy alive. So when Elmo gave space for Andrew to talk about his mummy, Andrew got to celebrate his mum with the world.
The amazing thing is Elmo wasn't the only one who showed up for Andrew. Grover offered to give him (and others) a hug.
Let me know if you need a warm hug. 💙
— Grover (@Grover) October 18, 2024
And Cookie Monster gave a blue heart.
💙
— Cookie Monster (@MeCookieMonster) October 18, 2024
Not only that, but Sesame Street added this sweet message and resource after the video.
Once the video was posted, so many people shared their experience with grief in the comments:
While others expressed gratitude for the video and Andrew in general.
So, if you've lost a loved one and have advice, life lessons, or things you wish you had known sooner, please share in the comments below. Or if you just want to talk about your loved one who passed, do that as well. Everyone deserves to be celebrated, even if they're no longer here.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.