Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield debate the yeas and neighs of the ‘We Live in Time’ horse meme

Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield made one the most emotionally wrecking, tenderly exquisite movies of their careers. But what’s gone viral from “We Live in Time”? A horse.

“We Live in Time,” directed by John Crowley (“Brooklyn”), premiered over the weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival. In it, Pugh and Garfield play a couple whose life together isn’t told chronologically, but spans meeting, falling in love, having a child and battling cancer.

The film, which A24 will open in theaters Oct. 11, captures some elemental passages of life, with Pugh and Garfield giving extraordinarily lived-in performances.

When one of the first images from the film was released, it captured the pair on a merry-go-round, a good representation of the movie at its most joyful. But at the bottom of the frame was a yellow carousel steed with a cartoonishly bug-eyed expression.

The internet quickly went to work. One post has been viewed nearly 50 million times. Stephen Colbert made it a segment on his late show. Countless iterations followed.

When Pugh and Garfield sat down for an interview the day after their premiere, the conversation inevitably turned to the runaway meme and the horse that (despite Pugh’s initial confusion) is very, very briefly seen in the movie. Here are their (somewhat off-color) comments, straight from the … well, you know.

___

GARFIELD: How do you feel about the horse?

PUGH: I was just so grateful it’s actually not in the movie.

GARFIELD: It is in the movie. It was there.

PUGH: Not it’s not. The head of it was. The eyes weren’t. I was waiting for it.

GARFIELD: Dude, it was there. I'm sorry.

PUGH: When?

GARFIELD: In the scene when we’re on the thing. I promise you.

PUGH: I don’t think it was. I heard you laugh.

GARFIELD: It was there for a flash. Am I wrong?

PUGH: I don’t think it was in the movie, babe.

GARFIELD: Baby. This is undebatable.

PUGH: OK, maybe it wasn't in it as much as that picture was. But I was so worried when it went (all over) the internet. It was hilarious, and it was funny. But that part of the movie is my favorite part of the movie. It's when they’re like: OK, let’s go. Let’s go on a date. Let’s have sex. Let’s get pregnant. Let's just do it.

GARFIELD: And then the horse steals the show!

PUGH: And I was just so worried that that amazing, gorgeous, glittery moment was going to be s—- on by this horse meme — which was hilarious, sure. But I was like, “No! Not at that point in the movie.” So I think last night I was so grateful that it wasn't, like, (makes horse face) doing the thing that it does in that picture, which ruins it.

GARFIELD: Man, I love the horse meme. I was about to go into a retreat for six days where I wouldn’t have my phone. And I saw this image for our film that had been released. And I noticed the horse. And I was like, “Whoa, that’s an interesting choice.” I don't know, did I approve that? I'm pretty sure Florence didn't approve that.

PUGH: You know, it wasn’t approved.

GARFIELD: (Nods). So I saw that and I was like, “Oh, that’s a choice, man.”Ah, I’m sure I’m the only one to notice it." Turn my phone off for six days. When I’m in the departure lounge coming back from wherever I was, I turn my phone on finally. And it’s just horse meme. I was wrong. People noticed it. And Colbert noticed and did a whole monologue on it. Honestly, I was crying.

PUGH: I loved “The Shining.” It was brilliant. “BoJack Horseman.”

GARFIELD: And the one where it’s like all of us have the horse face. Some of my favorite ones I have saved. (Garfield pulls out his phone and then reconsiders.) Actually, I’m not going to open up my photos right now.

PUGH: What's on your phone?

GARFIELD: Just lots of dick pics. My own. Cut this out.

PUGH: I didn’t know you could do press like this. I didn’t know you could say something outrageous and be like, “Cut.” What’s worse is they’re next to your horse pics.

GARFIELD: Yeah, it does look like the ratio is off.

PUGH: Jesus Christ, Andrew.

GARFIELD: What, you set me up.

(A nearby publicist sighs audibly.)

PUGH: Did you just hear our publicists sigh? Please don’t cut this. Let him be punished. He’ll never do it again.

GARFIELD: I will, that’s the problem. I’m insatiable when it comes to stupidity.