Andrew Garfield Says Billionaires Should Be “Scared Sh**less” by The Uprising as Backlash Erupts

Andrew Garfield has delivered a blunt warning to billionaires over his new historical drama The Uprising, and the comment has already triggered a fierce online backlash.

The actor, who stars as a rebellious leader fighting royal tyranny in director Paul Greengrass’ new film, said he hopes wealthy audiences are left “scared shitless” after watching the movie.

Garfield made the remark during a Los Angeles screening Q&A while discussing what he wants audiences to take away from The Uprising, a film inspired by England’s 1381 Peasants’ Revolt.

Garfield’s Billionaire Warning

Asked about his ideal reaction from audiences, Andrew Garfield said he hoped the film would be “galvanizing” and awaken viewers to struggles that remain relevant today.

Then came the line that detonated across social media.

“I hope that if any billionaires watch it, they’re scared shitless,” Andrew Garfield said.

The comment immediately shifted attention away from the medieval setting and toward the modern political and economic landscape.

The film follows Garfield’s fictional character, Ploughman, as he helps build an army against the oppressive rule of King Richard II. Its story is rooted in a period of extreme inequality, taxation, and social unrest.

“They Might Need the Healing the Most”

The film’s themes became even more pointed when a moderator referenced one of its lines: “There will be no peace until we are healed.”

Paul Greengrass agreed that the sentiment remains relevant centuries later. Garfield went further.

“I’m going to include the billionaires in that as well,” he said, arguing that the richest people could be among those who are “the most soul sick” and might need healing the most.

For Garfield, the movie is not simply a medieval action story. He sees its conflict over wealth, power, and inequality as something audiences can interpret through the lens of modern society.

The 1381 Revolt Meets 2026

The Uprising is set against the aftermath of the Black Death, when England’s working population faced harsh economic conditions and heavy taxation.

Garfield has previously argued that the period’s brutal treatment of working-class people, government failures, and abusive practices have parallels in the modern world.

Asked whether those circumstances could apply today, he reportedly responded: “Yeah, here and in the United States, and all around the world.”

He also described the film as a political “Rorschach Test,” suggesting that audiences with sharply different political beliefs could see their own struggles reflected in its story.

That ambiguity could make the movie even more combustible once it reaches a wider audience.

Backlash: “What About Your Paycheck?”

Andrew Garfield’s billionaire comment quickly attracted criticism on X, with some users accusing the actor of hypocrisy because of his own Hollywood wealth.

Critics questioned whether a multimillionaire actor can convincingly position himself alongside the working class while starring in a major studio production.

Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt was among those who mocked the remark, questioning whether billionaires who finance movies and pay Hollywood stars were somehow exempt from Garfield’s criticism.

Other commentators similarly argued that wealthy investors and executives are involved throughout the entertainment industry.

One critic described the situation as a wealthy actor “cosplaying” as a member of the oppressed working class, while another argued that many billionaires connected to Hollywood could potentially have been involved in making the film.

The comments remain criticism from individual commentators, rather than evidence that Garfield personally controls or benefits from billionaire ownership of the movie.

Garfield Is Doubling Down on the Message

Despite the backlash, Andrew Garfield’s comments fit directly with the themes he says attracted him to The Uprising.

The actor has described justice and healing as central ideas behind the project.

Greengrass, meanwhile, has positioned the historical setting as a way to explore questions of power that still feel relevant today.

That could make The Uprising more than another medieval rebellion movie.

With Garfield openly challenging billionaires to watch and potentially feel threatened by the film has already created a political conversation before audiences have even had the chance to judge it for themselves.

And that may be exactly the kind of reaction its star was hoping to provoke.