What happened when Spider-Man and Elmo discussed grief and loss

Andrew Garfield and Elmo are the heartwarming pair you didn’t know you needed.

Garfield, who played Spider-Man in “The Amazing Spider-Man,” hung out with Elmo on Sesame Street in a video Elmo shared on X on Friday.

What Andrew Garfield and Elmo said about grief

Elmo told the actor that he wanted to check in on everyone on Sesame Street and asked the actor how he was doing. Garfield answered that he was doing “OK.”

A concerned Elmo wanted to know what was bothering his new friend. Before sharing his story, Garfield asked Elmo if he was sure he wanted to listen, to which Elmo replied he’d “love to listen.”

“I’m just thinking about my mum today. She passed away not too long ago, and, you know, I just miss her, miss her a lot,” Garfield shared.

Elmo expressed his condolences for Garfield.

“You don’t have to say sorry. It’s actually kind of OK to miss somebody,” Garfield said. “That sadness is kind of a gift. It’s kind of a lovely thing to feel in a way because it means you loved somebody when you miss them.”

Both Garfield and Elmo bonded over the sadness they feel when they miss someone they love. Garfield then shared what he does when he misses his mother.

“When I miss my mom, I remember all of the cuddles I used to get from her, all of the hugs I used to get from her, and it makes me feel close to her when I miss her in a strange way,” he said.

The “Amazing Spider-Man” actor said that he can both celebrate and miss his mother.

“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 ever met, everyone around her. When I miss her, I remember it’s because she made me so happy, so I can celebrate her and I can miss her at the same time,” he said.

Elmo loved that sentiment and told Garfield that he was “going to think about and celebrate” Garfield’s mother, too, as well as everyone else that the video’s viewers might miss.

What Andrew Garfield has said about losing his mom

Garfield, who is also known for roles in “Tick, Tick ... Boom!” and “The Social Network,” lost his mother in 2019 after she battled with pancreatic cancer, according to E! News .

The actor has been open with the grief he has experienced following his mother’s death.

“This is all the unexpressed love, the grief that will remain with us until we pass because we never get enough time with each other, no matter if someone lives until 60, 15, or 99. So I hope this grief stays with me because it’s all the unexpressed love that I didn’t get to tell her. And I told her every day. We all told her every day she was the best of us,” Garfield said in a 2021 visit to “ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert .”

Earlier this month on the “All There Is with Anderson Cooper” podcast , Garfield said “fully inhabiting” the grief and longing for his mother is the only way he feels close to her. He noted that her death has changed his perspective on life.

“I know for a fact that this is a short life, and the things that mattered before don’t matter anymore. And I think when I say things taste differently, I think things can taste much more sweet now because of the sorrow that I’ve felt, and they can taste much more bitter,” he said.