Andrew Garfield Receives 1st Emmy Nomination for 'Under the Banner of Heaven'

Two-time Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield has earned an Emmy Award nod for his role in the true-crime miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven. Garfield, 39, last saw awards buzz for his role as Rent composer Jonathon Larson. Now, the actor plays the faith-conflicted Mormon detective Jeb Pyre in the FX series streaming on Hulu.

Andrew Garfield as Jeb Pyre in ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’

In Under the Banner of Heaven, Garfield’s Pyre is a detective called to investigate the horrific murders of a young Mormon mother and her 15-month-old daughter. Pyre, a fellow member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), finds that in solving the murders, he unearths dark secrets from deep within the religion that change his faith forever. In the end, what unfolds throughout the seven episodes of Under the Banner of Heaven is more than a murder case — it is, at its core, a study of man’s relationship with religion and an investigation into fundamentalism. 

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times about his nomination, Garfield said, “I’m just happy to be alive! … I’m happy to be able to do what I love. Then the rest just feels like icing and an honor, a real honor.” 

The limited series is based on a true story

FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven is based on the true story of the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her infant daughter in the 1980s. As detailed in Jon Krakauer’s nonfiction of the same name, Brenda Lafferty (played by Where the Crawdads Sing’s Daisy Edgar-Jones in the miniseries) and her daughter, Erica, were killed by her brothers-in-law Dan and Ron — both LDS fundamentalists.

Garfield’s Pyre, however, is a fictional character created by Under the Banner of Heaven’s showrunner, Dustin Lance Black. Pyre’s character is largely a reflection of Black’s personal journey and struggles with his beliefs before leaving the church as a teenager. 

And though Black told Slate that Pyre has not altogether left the Mormon religion by the series’ end, the showrunner suggests Pyre’s views have changed drastically. Pyre recognizes that keeping his family together means remaining in the religion in some form, but Black claims Pyre now knows “the questions to ask” and will continue asking them.  

Andrew Garfield on religion and ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’

Describing himself as “pantheist, agnostic, [and] occasionally atheist” in his LA Times interview, Andrew Garfield spoke freely about his views on religion and why Under the Banner of Heaven has an important message.

“This show is a clear reflection of the kind of fundamentalism that is creeping into public life,” Garfield said, relating the fundamentalism seen in Under the Banner of Heaven to current faith-based political debates like the hotly disputed Supreme Court ruling on abortion laws. 

“It’s a fear-based ideology that keeps us from true connection to present reality, compassion, empathy, remembering our interconnectedness with all living things. And that is really where spirituality and God lives, whatever you define as God.”

Like Krakauer’s 2003 book, FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven has been met with criticism from inside the LDS, with members claiming misrepresentation. However, the miniseries received wide praise from critics and audiences alike, and Garfield’s performance certainly is award-worthy.

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