NEW YORK − Don’t worry, you’re not imagining things.

In “We Live in Time,” currently showing in theaters, Andrew Garfield portrays two distinct roles. Directed by John Crowley (“Brooklyn”), the film features Garfield as Tobias, a cereal salesman who becomes deeply infatuated with a talented chef named Almut (played by Florence Pugh). When we first encounter Almut, she learns that her aggressive ovarian cancer has returned. Not wanting to spend her remaining days in hospitals, she opts to skip treatment and focus on preparing for a prestigious cooking competition.

Toward the film’s conclusion, Almut and Tobias travel to Italy for the renowned culinary contest. While Almut jogs alone outside, attentive viewers may spot a street cleaner who bears a striking resemblance to Garfield—this is because the actor requested a cameo appearance as a different character.

This scene was one of the final ones recorded for “We Live in Time” last year. Garfield had completed his scenes as Tobias in the U.K. and wanted to accompany the cast and crew to Italy to further bond with them.

Even today, Garfield jokes, “I’m still shedding the character.” He added, “It was genuinely so enjoyable. I adore that silly stuff. And it was wonderful to be with everyone because my final scene was filmed in London, and I didn’t think I’d need to be around—until it turned out I was meant to play Street Cleaner No. 2 in Italy. (Laughs.)

“It was just lovely. I wanted to finish the film with everyone because it had been such a memorable journey. So it was delightful to be there and just enjoy time with Flo. It was a truly special moment I wouldn’t have wanted to miss.”

Garfield, 41, creatively crafted an entire backstory for his street cleaner character, complete with a name.

“Fernando,” Garfield quipped. “He held a lot of sadness inside, but he also had a band with his friends. He was quite talented but lacked the courage to follow his dreams. So he took a street cleaning job to make ends meet.”

“Did he play bass?” Pugh inquired, sitting with her co-star at a hotel in SoHo last month.

“No, he was the lead singer,” Garfield replied. “He was an incredible, brooding frontman. Charismatic but frustrated.” (“You could see it in his brooming technique!” Pugh chimed in.)

Crowley emphasized that Garfield’s cameo is quite challenging to spot since Almut passes by several other street cleaners during her run.

After seeing the film, Garfield joked, “Did you cut my scene out?” Crowley remembered. “I didn’t! He truly dived into that character, even though it’s a brief moment. I’m not sure anyone will notice which of the street cleaners is Garfield. But if you do, you deserve a prize.”